Tonga Beat England for the First Time, 30-12 in Perth, and England’s World Cup Is Already in Trouble
Tonga had lost all six of their previous matches against England. On Saturday at HBF Park they won 30-12, four tries to two, and nrl.com called it the first win over England in Tonga’s history. Nine years ago England beat them by two points in a World Cup semi-final. This one was not close.
| Tries | Goals | Penalty goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonga 30 | Haumole Olakau’atu 2, Stefano Utoikamanu, Toluta’u Koula | Isaiya Katoa 3 | Katoa 4 |
| England 12 | AJ Brimson, Dom Young | Hugo Savala 2 | None |
Half-time: Tonga 10, England 0.
England had the ball and did nothing with it
For the first half-hour England played the way Brian McDermott had promised, with plenty of second-phase play and Tonga on the back foot. The Guardian’s verdict was that George Williams and Harry Smith could not find the final pass, the same problem England had against Australia in last autumn’s Ashes.
Tonga scored with their first real chance. Katoa’s pass sent Stefano Utoikamanu, the Melbourne forward, through a big gap, and Katoa converted and then kicked two penalties. Ten points from very little ball.
Three minutes that settled it
England had to score first after the break and did. Five minutes in, Savala made a break and AJ Brimson scored his first Test try. For a while it looked as though they would score next as well.
Then Sam Walters gave away a penalty, Tonga got field position, and Katoa put in a kick that Olakau’atu finished. Three minutes later Tui Lolohea kicked through again and Koula scored. 10-6 had become 22-6.
Dom Young scored in the corner to give England a chance, but Olakau’atu’s second try with ten minutes left ended it. Katoa finished with 14 points from the tee and set up two of Tonga’s four tries.
What it does to England
England are in the combined Pools B and C table, where six teams play three games each and only the top two reach the semi-finals. After one round they are fourth, behind Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, with a points difference of minus 18. The live table has the full picture.
The Guardian worked through what is left: England must beat France and Papua New Guinea, need Tonga to beat Samoa, and may need big wins to make up the points difference. If they miss out, it would be the first World Cup in which England have not reached at least the last four.
England play France at the same ground on Saturday 24 October, at 7.35am UK time, then Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on Friday 30 October. Samoa beat France 78-4 on Friday, which tells England what the French defence is like and how much points difference Samoa already have.
Tonga are now a real contender
Kristian Woolf’s side play Lebanon on Friday 23 October and Samoa on Sunday 1 November. Win both and they finish the pool stage unbeaten. Katoa is 22, Olakau’atu and Robert Toia were in the Dally M Team of the Year, and the squad still has Jason Taumalolo from the 2017 semi-final. Nobody can call them underdogs now.
England’s women had a better afternoon at the same ground, beating Wales 70-6 with hat-tricks from Anna Davies and the debutant Connie Boyd. They play Australia in Perth next.
