Tonga powered past Canada with a commanding 30-17 victory on Saturday in Tokyo, securing a 5th-place finish in the Pacific Nations Cup. The Maple Leafs struggled to penetrate the Ikale Tahi’s strong defense and were outmuscled in collisions throughout the match.
Canada opened the scoring with a penalty kick from Peter Nelson after an early turnover by Tonga, but the Ikale Tahi responded swiftly. A quick lineout drive saw Siosiua Moala touch down the first try, followed by a conversion from Patrick Pellegrini. Soon after, John Tapueluelu powered through Canada’s defense, extending Tonga’s lead to 14-3.
Canada responded with a try from Andrew Quattrin after Jethro Felemi was shown a yellow card for collapsing a Canadian maul. Nelson’s conversion made it 14-10, but Tonga quickly added another try from debutant Josiah Unga, sending the score to 19-10 by halftime.
Pellegrini stretched Tonga’s lead with a penalty kick early in the second half, but Canada fought back with a try from Takoda McMullin, narrowing the gap to 22-17. But, a yellow card to Ethan Fryer for a high tackle allowed Pellegrini to add another three points for Tonga.
A dominant scrum from Tonga in the final minutes set up Tapueluelu for his second try, sealing the 30-17 win.
Both teams will now shift focus to their European tours in November, where they will play in a double-header in Bucharest. Canada faces Chile, while Tonga plays Romania on November 9.
Source: Americas Rugby News
