Junior Ikale Tahi defeated by Fiji U20 [1]
Thursday, February 29, 2024 - 18:40
The Tonga U20 rugby team, Junior 'Ikale Tahi lost 25-39 to Fiji on the first Oceania Rugby U20s Challenge campaign held in Auckland, New Zealand on 27 February.
Fiji showed why they’re going to be hard to beat in this competition, dominating with their speed.
The Fijians came out with a solid attacking effort in the opening minutes, not wasting any time with an early try from flanker Ebenezer Navula.
Tonga responded with a penalty goal and showed their physicality while trying to disrupt the Fijian attack.
However, the 'Ikale Tahi made a fierce comeback in the second half that startled Fiji with three consecutive tries in the first 10 minutes.
Suddenly the score was 27-22, and the match turned into a slugfest, with either side equally capable of coming out on top.
Fiji later earned a penalty and pushed the margin out to ten. They continued to chip away, applying pressure on the spirited Tongan defence.
Fiji Captain Nalani May said, "we definitely got caught off guard in the second half, but we just regrouped on the field, and stayed together."
Tonga Captain Siasofi Tohi said the Ikales are now focused on their next challenge against Samoa this Saturday, 2 March.
"We need to improve in our contact, and we need to help the defence out, a lot to work on for Saturday's game."