Woolf confident that Mate Ma’a Tonga will make Tonga proud [1]
Friday, October 14, 2022 - 20:51
With only a few days left until Mate Ma'a Tonga embarks on its Rugby League World Cup campaign with its first match on 18 October, Head Coach Kristian Woolf is confident that the squad is going to do very well and make the Kingdom of Tonga proud.
After an excellent win in its warm up match against France 48-12 on 8 October, Tonga's national rugby league team is training hard in England, as Tongans at home and abroad are backing them with support and cheers.
Woolf told Matangi Tonga on 13 October that preparations were going very well.
"We have been in England now for almost two-weeks and have had a number of training sessions and the group has come together well. I am happy with where we are at."
He also said the game against France was really important to them.
It gave us a chance to get some match fitness into the players who didn’t play finals as well as trying some different combinations. It was our first game together and it gave us a lot of positive things to look at in preparing for Papua New Guinea next week, said Woolf.
"I am very confident we have a squad that is going to go very well throughout this World Cup and do the Kingdom of Tonga proud."
The Mate Ma'a Tonga and officials have also expressed their gratitude to St Helens for hosting them as they prep. They also gave back to the community with various visits that included young school children.
In the group stages, the Mate Ma'a Tonga will play against the Cook Islands, Wales and Papua New Guinea.
Their first match on 18 October is against Papua New Guinea followed by Wales on 24 October at the Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens.
The squad will then play against Cook Islands on 30 October at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.
Meanwhile, a 24-man Mate Ma'a Tonga squad had been announced with Jason Taumalolo and Siosiua Taukei'aho as co-captains.
For rugby league fans throughout the world, the Rugby League World Cup will get underway on Saturday, 15 October.
The opening game will be between England and Samoa with finals on 19 November.