The Tongan 'Wilkinson' who is looking to put the boot into England at the World Cup
Sonatane Takulua is relishing the challenge of proving Newcastle are now a major Premiership force and Tonga can become giant killers at next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan when they will face England, France, Argentina and USA.
The talented scrum-half helped Newcastle into the Premiership play-off semi-finals for the first time with a fourth-place finish last season and then provided 13 points with the boot as Tonga defeated Samoa 28-18 and another 12 in the 27-19 win over Fiji in June.
With another Premiership campaign with Newcastle about to kick off and Tests against Wales and possibly Georgia in November, Takulua has a busy schedule leading up to the opening Pool C World Cup match with England on September 22 next year at the Sapporo Dome.
His pride at representing the national team is clearly shown in the eye-catching tattoo Takulua had put onto the front of his right shin which is the coat of arms of Tonga.
It could be seen as a very visible good luck charm as it is his kicking leg, the one that has given Tonga and Newcastle a reliable kicker at both international and Premiership levels. Given that Tonga is not renowned for producing kickers, Takulua’s willingness to take on the responsibility has been a relief for everyone involved in the national side. So far, he has kicked 27 penalties and 21 conversions while also scoring eight tries, collecting 163 points in 28 appearances for his country.
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For Newcastle, the club that gave the world Jonny Wilkinson, Takulua has amassed 156 points and he will go into the new season as their first choice kicker despite the presence in the squad of 33-year-old Toby Flood, the former England and Leicester outside half, who has booted over nearly 1500 points in his Test and club career to date.
Takulua’s emergence as a first choice kicker owed more to chance, than a great master plan, as the former Northland player explained: “ I always wanted to represent my country growing up and wanted to put the tattoo on myself to show how proud I am to be able to play for Tonga. Other teammates have the same tattoo on their arms and in other places but I have it on my leg and maybe it is helping with my kicking.
“I am not that great a kicker yet and I only started kicking for Tonga on an end of year tour to Italy (2016). I was always mucking around while the kickers were doing their practice and I never got the chance to kick when I played in New Zealand. We didn’t really have kickers in the Tonga squad so I just stepped up and did it and when I came back to Newcastle the coaches had the belief and trust in me to take over the kicking duty. I have been learning that you always make mistakes and all I can do is my best and if I miss I will try and make up for it with the next one.
“Having said I would do the kicking job at Newcastle then it hit home that it really is a big responsibility and everyone relies on you. I am not like Jonny Wilkinson in the way he used to practise here at the club and I have my own routine which I work on and I am learning along with way with Toby (Flood) and Joel (Hodgson) and the coaches. Tonga doesn’t have a skills coach and so I have to do it all myself. We want to build on what we achieved with Newcastle in the Premiership last season finishing fourth and that was fantastic.
“It was a big achievement and it gives us confidence going into the new season and we believe we can go for it again. Bristol have come into the Premiership and like us they have a number of Islander players and I think we bring an attitude and physicality to the game over here. Bristol have a lot of Tongan and Samoan guys and we have Fijian, Samoan and me for Tonga and when we play then we will see who will come out as the best Islanders!”
Takulua was part of the Tonga squad at the 2015 World Cup in England and believes the current squad is equipped to deliver the same kind of headline-grabbing upset that the country’s players achieved in 2011 when they defeated France 19-14. While England’s players will build up for their pool clash with Tonga with numerous squad sessions, the November and Six Nations Tests and warm-up games, Takulua and his teammates will have limited time to ensure they hit the ground running in Japan.
That is why the Test with Wales in November is important as it will give the team an idea of where they stand less than a year away from the opening game with an England team that will be built around their own Tongan players – Mako and Billy Vunipola. Takulua added: “The Wales Test is going to be a good match for us in the build up to the World Cup. There are opportunities for Tonga in Japan and there is a chance for us to repeat the kind of upset we achieved in 2011 against France.
“The Tonga squad has been together for a few tours now and there will be upsets at the (World) Cup.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments