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Cancer survivor Nasi Manu headlines Tonga World Cup squad

Nasi Manu. Photo / Getty Images

Three-test loose forward Nasi Manu has completed a remarkable comeback from testicular cancer to be named in Tonga’s 31-man World Cup squad.

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The 30-year-old was diagnosed with the illness in October last year, ruling him out of action for the entire 2018-19 Pro14 season with Italian club Benetton Treviso as he received chemotherapy treatment.

However, the former Highlanders co-captain, who helped lead the side to their maiden Super Rugby title in 2015, found out he was cancer-free in June.

He was subsequently named in Toutai Kefu’s 31-man Tonga side for the Pacific Nations Cup, and was named as captain for their tournament opener against Samoa in July.

Manu was a late omission from the match day team, though, as a pectoral injury robbed him of his first appearance for the ‘Ikale Tahi since last June.

He hasn’t featured for the national side since then, but his inclusion in the World Cup squad after a year without any game time is indicative of the influence and importance he has within Kefu’s side.

Manu is accompanied by a raft of experienced heads that will be travelling to Japan for rugby’s global showpiece event, including skipper Siale Piutau, Racing 92 prop Ben Tameifuna, ex-Wallaby Cooper Vuna, Newcastle Falcons star Sonatane Takulua, returning speedster Telusa Veainu and veteran playmaker Kurt Morath.

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It’s that experience that Kefu will be calling upon as he eyes a quarter-final berth, something of which Tonga has never achieved before.

The former Wallabies No. 8, who was part of the 1999 World Cup-winning side, is pushing for a place in the last eight, even with tier one heavyweights England, Argentina and France, plus the USA, in their group, which has been labelled as the ‘Pool of Death’.

“I’m fixated on making the play-offs,” Kefu said.

“We need to win three games for that.

“We’re in a tough pool, there’s no doubt about it. We just need to get together and believe in what we’re doing and believe that we can make it. And I certainly think we can.”

Even with some sketchy results in the lead-up to the tournament, including losses to Samoa and Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup and a 29-19 defeat to Fiji at Eden Park on Saturday, Kefu has plenty of belief in his side.

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“We’re confident in the way we’re going at the moment,” Kefu said.

“Even though we had a loss last week [29-19 against Fiji] there’s some really really good stuff that we did. And we’ve come a long way just in the two weeks we’ve had since the Pacific Nation Cup.”

Tonga kick-off their World Cup campaign against England at Sapporo on September 22.

Tonga World Cup squad:

Forwards: Siegfried Fisiihoi (Stade Francais), Vunipola Fifita (Brumbies), Latu Talakai (Eastwood), Paula Ngauamo (Agen), Sosefo Sakalia (Asia Pacific Dragons), Siua Maile (Shirley RFC)*, Siua Halanukonuka (Glasgow Warriors), Ma’afu Fia (Ospreys), Ben Tameifuna (Racing 92), Sam Lousi (Scarlets), Leva Fifita (Grenoble), Steve Mafi (Castres), Sione Kalamafoni (Leicester Tigers), Maama Vaipulu (Castres), Fotu Lokotui (Kagifa Samoa), Zane Kapeli (Bay of Plenty), Dan Faleafa (Coventry), Nasi Manu (Benetton Treviso).

Backs: Sonatane Takulua (Newcastle Falcons), Leon Fukofuka (Kagifa Samoa), Samisoni Fisilau (Auckland Marist), Kurt Morath (Doncaster Knights), James Faiva (El Salvador), Siale Piutau (Bristol), Malietoa Hingano (Stade Francais), Nafi Tuitavake (Northampton Saints), Atieli Pakalani (Eastwood), David Halaifonua (Coventry), Viliami Lolohea (Papatoetoe), Cooper Vuna (Bath), Telusa Veainu (Leicester Tigers).

* – denotes new cap

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SK 1 hour ago
Lessons the Wallabies must heed to turn Lions heartbreak into future success

Brett I love your fresh take on the picture that needed to be painted and ultimately wasnt. I agree there just wasnt enough in it for the ref to call it back and ultimately the ref was consistent the whole night at the breakdown. Australia are damned disheartened now but look how close it came to beating a team Campo said would thrash them by 30. This is the perfect prep for the Rugby Championship and the Boks and NZ. The Boks will be able to bring a scary pack to face the Aussies but it will be just as scary as facing these lads and so the Wallabies for me are making progress. They are not quite the finished article and the soft moments and tries and passive defence just proves it. Schmidt was brought in to make Australia better, he was brought in to make sure Australia improved in time for the Lions to avoid an embarrassment and look he has done that and taken them close so while the result is gutting its a job well done so far. lets see if they can take one step further and pilfer a test off these patchy Lions. Just a quick word on refs and the laws. Can we please tell World Rugby to simplify the game. At least 5 or 6 laws were examined in the wake of the last minute cleanout and several said Tizzano should have been pinged, others say Morgan should have been pinged. If former players and refs cant agree on what the right call was then it means the game is too complex. The refs have a clear mandate to let the game flow. I agree with that but the laws must support the refs. Right now they do not and leave too many holes for the refs to plug. The result is a furore after every major engagement between nations where the refs are abused.

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IkeaBoy 2 hours ago
'The Wallabies only have themselves to blame': How the Lions sunk Australia in Melbourne

I’m a proud Irishman with a weakness for the underdog. My only stake in the game was an Aussie win to take the series to a decider. Even overlooking the actual clear out - which was the only thing Piardi instructed the TMO to review - I think it’s very easy to be objective and say that Australia got done on the calls.


It’s a phase of play that unfolds in less than 10 seconds but is fairly easy to breakdown.


1 - Ryan (#19 Lions) is tackled legally, goes to ground in possession of the ball but makes no effort to release the ball. He has to immediately once he goes to ground. PENALTY.


2 - Tizzano (#21 Australia) is first man to the ball (from either team) and forms the ruck with his own hindfoot. Side entry doesn’t apply to him as the ruck is not formed at this stage but rather it’s formed by him. NO PENALTY.


3 - Even to completely ignore the actual clear out (penalty/no penalty), foul play can still have occurred without the need for a HIA. The fact that Tizzano is walking around and available for the next match doesn’t mean he didn’t get emptied. His mouthguard data does seem to have registered an almighty force though. 50/50.


4 - Both Morgan (#20 Lions) and Genge (#17 Lions) go to clear out but both do so by driving through the ruck off their feet and falling over the ball. Sealing. PENALTY


5 - I still don’t understand why none of the coverage picks up on this - Morgan holds Tizzano’s feet in a wrap on the pitch after the clear out. On the match clock it’s 79.03 to 79.07 before he releases. Playing the player off the ball. PENALTY


Piardi controls the narrative when reviewing with the TMO and starts on the wrong foot. The discussion is all on the basis that both sets of players arrive at the same time (which changes mitigation around foul play) which they don’t. They clearly don’t as Tizzano is first to the ball.


For 79 mins that match was brilliant. The crowd was brilliant. The atmosphere seemed brilliant. It’s a loss on the sport that a gang of mic’d up officials can not get it right.

179 Go to comments
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