1
Wallabies legends to suit up for Tonga tsunami charity match
By AAP
Toutai Kefu will coach a star-studded Tongan invitational side against a vintage Queensland Reds outfit to raise funds for the battered South Pacific Island nation's recovery effort.
Tonga coach Kefu is himself recovering, after a terrifying home invasion last August resulted in the former Wallabies great in hospital and his wife, son and daughter all injured.
But he'll be back with the clipboard in hand for a 40-minute curtain-raiser to the Reds' Super Rugby Pacific home opener on February 19 at Suncorp Stadium.
James Horwill, Scott Higginbotham and David Croft will lace up the boots for the Vintage Reds, while George Smith, Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri will feature for the Tongan side.
Public donations will be directed towards supporting the Tonga recovery effort after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami in January.
The disaster was felt heavily at Ballymore and Australian rugby in general, given many players' strong family ties to Tonga.
"It means a great deal to me, my family and my community to get the opportunity to raise some funds for our people," Kefu said.
"Our country has been devastated by this disaster, so every cent we can raise counts.
"We've got some great players strapping on the boots for both teams and it's going to be a great spectacle with some great rugby played."
Donations will be sent to a direct impact, on-ground organisation assisting the recovery of Tongan homes and lives.
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Rassie Erasmus explains so-called Willie Le Roux selection snub
3
Mitchell hints England's much-maligned habit is a thing of the past
4
Gregor Townsend breaks silence on his Scotland future
5
Latest Comments
I’ve seen an improvement in both.
Go to commentsFrance using the 7-1, England using the 6-2, Ireland and Scotland have used it a few times as well and many nations are starting to adopt it. The reality is the game is changing. Administrators have made it faster and that is leading to more significant drop offs in the forwards. You have 2 options. Load your bench with forwards or alter your player conditioning which might mean more intense conditioning for forwards and a drop off in bulk. The game can still be played many ways. Every nation needs to adapt in their own way to suit their strengths. France have followed the Springbok model of tight forwards being preferred because it suits them. They have huge hunks of meat and the bench is as good as the starters so why not go for it? The Springboks have also used hybrids like Kwagga Smith, Schalk Britz, Deon Fourie, Franco Mostert and others. England are following that model instead and by putting 3 loosies there who can do damage in defence and make the breakdown a mess in the final quarter. It worked well against Wales but will be interested to see how it goes going forward against better opposition who can threaten their lineout and scrum. All the talk around bench limitations to stop the 7-1 and 6-2 for me is nonsense. Coaches who refuse to innovate want to keep the game the same and make it uniform and sameness is bad for fans. The bench composition adds jeopardy and is a huge debate point for fans who love it. Bench innovations have not made the game worse, they have made it better and more watchable. They challenge coaches and teams and that’s what fans want. What we need now is more coaches to innovate. There is still space for the 5-3 or even a 4-4 if a coach is willing to take it on and play expansive high tempo possession-based rugby with forwards who are lean and mean and backs who are good over the ball. The laws favour that style more than ever before. Ireland are too old to do it now. Every team needs to innovate to best suit their style and players so I hope coaches and pundits stop moaning about forwards and benches and start to find different ways to win.
Go to comments