Laumape the latest ex-All Black to commit to Tonga
Assistant coach Nili Latu has revealed that former All Blacks star Ngani Laumape has made himself available to Tonga ahead of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup in August and September.
Laumape, whose parents are from Tonga, first declared his interest in playing for the ‘Ikale Tahi when World Rugby introduced the birthright ruling in 2021 and he has been eligible since November last year.
Unlike the five other ex-All Blacks in the squad, the centre’s three-year stand-down period hadn’t quite run its course in time for him to be considered for Rugby World Cup 2023 selection.
But the Kobelco Kobe Steelers star, who won the last of his 15 All Blacks caps in November 2020, is now free to become a dual international and has put his hand up for selection under the new management team of Tevita Tu’ifua and Nili Latu.
The prospect of Laumape lining up in Tonga’s midfield alongside another ex-All Black in Malakai Fekitoa is one to excite Tonga fans ahead of a busier-than-normal year of Test rugby.
Tonga have two additional Tests against Italy and Spain as well as a match against Queensland Reds in Tonga before competing in the revamped Pacific Nations Cup, which gets underway on August 23.
Meanwhile, Israel Folau is still keen on playing for Tonga having returned to action after a nine-month injury lay-off.
The former 74-cap Wallaby scored four minutes into his comeback match for Urayasu D-Rocks in Japan League One at the end of March and is hoping to add to the one Tonga cap he won back in July 2022.
Folau is now 35, Fekitoa is 32 and Laumape turns 31 later this month, so the next Rugby World Cup in 2027 could be beyond all three players.
Nili Latu, Tonga’s new assistant coach, has recognised that the age profile of the squad needs addressing and has been given a player pathway manager role in addition to being new head coach Tevita Tu’ifua’s number two.
Latu was in Apia on Monday to see Tonga A play Manuma Samoa in the World Rugby Pacific Challenge in the hope of identifying new Test players, although it is debatable whether he will have found that many positives from the 56-17 defeat.
The raw talent is there in Tonga and in the huge ex-pat population in New Zealand, but Latu wants to ensure it is harnessed in the right way for the benefit of the Moana Pasifika Super Rugby team and, ultimately, the national side.
“Our priority now is to qualify for the World Cup so there is still a use for those players and bringing their leadership into the group. And at the same time, we have got guys like Ngani Laumape, who has put his hand up to come in,” he revealed.
“Over 80% of the World Cup squad are over 30 and as we’re looking to build some of those players may give us a year or two.
“I think it is really important that we do keep some high-profile players to lead the way for the next generation. A few of the boys have already asked for time off for family reasons and, for me that gives opportunity for the next person.”
Latu, who was brought up in Tonga by his grandparents before emigrating to New Zealand, says a union-backed high performance academy in Auckland will be set up with hubs planned elsewhere, in Australia and back in the homeland.
“We never run out of stock but it is finding our way and setting up a system that means we can keep our players in the islands,” he said.
“I think it is brilliant to have Moana in New Zealand now and we are looking to set up a High Performance Academy for first the time.
“We understand there is a lot of hard work to be done because it has never been done before, but that is the only way to sustain our players and realign everything.
“For us to be strong and sustainable we need to start building from the ground up, from the grassroots. It is about creating a pathway and hopefully, we can get the ball rolling as soon as possible.”
Latu knows from first-hand experience how natural talent has not always been harnessed the right way, with a lack of direction and resources preventing Tonga from fulfilling their potential.
Tonga’s record caps holder until Sonatane Takulua overtook him recalls how the team roughed it in the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2007 in France whilst they were staying in a budget hotel in England on the eve of the tournament.
“It was four to a room but in ours, it felt like five because we had two of the props, including Taufa’ao Filise.
“There were 45 of us in the squad and after every training session in the parking lot, a truck would turn up with a whole cooked chicken for each of us. As players, we were on about €80/week until Epi Taione got in touch with his mate, Paddy Power, and they topped it up after he agreed to change his name to Paddy Power and dye his hair green! That’s how we prepared for the World Cup. People don’t realise what we went through.”
Latu, who won 48 caps for Tonga, wants more for the players playing under him and cites a lack of support in the right areas as the reason why a squad containing players of the calibre of RWC 2015 winner Fekitoa and Charles Piutau, Vaea Fifita, Augustine Pulu, Ben Tameifuna and Adam Coleman failed to win more than one game.
“If you look at the World Cup team it is are probably the best team Tonga has ever put out at a World Cup but they never came through and it was through those issues that we never got to see their potential. Hopefully, we won’t go down the same path.
“On our day, we can win games that nobody gives us a chance in.”
As a hard-tackling, hard-running back-row forward in Super Rugby with the Hurricanes and the Chiefs in Super Rugby and then at Newcastle in the Gallagher Premiership, Latu never saw any obstacle as insurmountable.
This never-give-up attitude has carried over into his coaching and in just over four years he has risen up to Test rugby via stints as head coach at Auckland Premier side Papatoetoe and Marist North Harbour in New Zealand and as an assistant coach of the Moana Pasifika. Latu was also head coach of the Tonga women’s national team during the 2023 Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship.
“What I love about the job is that I am learning every day and that brings an edge to the way I coach and understand the game,” he said.
“I never thought I would get into the position I am in today through rugby. I never give up, I find ways of getting things done. That never-give-up attitude was implanted into me quite early.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Great role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
54 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
54 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
54 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
54 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
54 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
54 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
54 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
54 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
54 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
54 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
54 Go to comments