Ben Tameifuna: 'Hopefully we can paint these Australian stadiums in red'

Tonga came away from the Rugby World Cup 2027 pool draw feeling pretty happy with their result, which saw them placed in Pool F alongside England, Wales and Zimbabwe.

The draw itself inspired some optimism for team captain Ben Tameifuna, and the fact that Pacific neighbours Australia are hosting it added excitement, promising to connect the team with fans.

Tonga head coach Tevita Tu’ifua said it was a blessing to be drawn in a pool with two teams he had played in World Cups during his playing career, England and Wales. He reflected on those two nations’ respective histories competing in Australia.

“With Wales, I would say they are now in a building phase,” he said. “Looking at their background of playing in Australia, I think they’ll handle it well, and so will England, having the background in Australia in the 2003 World Cup. Even though it will be an advantage for them to have that experience and the motivation, there could also be some more pressure on the players having that to live up to.”

Tameifuna then outlined his expectations for the opponents his side will face in Pool F.

“What are we expecting of them? England and Wales are always going to be strong teams, being tier one nations. They’ve obviously got all the backing behind them.

“We’re on a building path as well as a team, and I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. 

“I don’t know much about Zimbabwe, but they’ve obviously earned their spot at a World Cup, so I believe this will be a huge occasion for them, especially with it being their first World Cup. So, they’ll be throwing the kitchen sink at it, having a crack and seeing whether they can produce an upset.

“As I said, I feel us as a Tongan team, we’re heading in the right direction, we’re slowly building, and anything can happen at World Cups. We’re pretty stoked with the pools, actually, we’re pretty happy and looking forward to it.”

Tameifuna was also excited to be playing in a Rugby World Cup in the southern hemisphere, so close to friends and family.

“Following the 2011 World Cup, we’re looking to build on that. Being in the southern hemisphere, it’s sort of in our backyard; people just have to fly to Australia from Tonga and New Zealand, as opposed to flying to Europe, so it will sort of be like a home away from home. We’re definitely looking forward to that.

“Hopefully, the red sea will turn up and show as much support for us as they do the Mate Ma’a Tonga team. We feed off that, and hopefully we can paint these Australian stadiums in red.”