Who’s 4th best , Tonga or Fiji .

[Burns]

Would love to see Fiji play Tonga now actually

 

[Panther_Daz]

Fiji's pack at full strength is quite decent. Not as good as Tonga's but it is more than competitive.

8. D. Saifiti
9. Koroisau
10. Campbell-Gillard
11. Kikau
12. T.Sims
13. K.Sims

14. Bukuya
15. Kamikamica
16. Milne
17. Lovodua

Then you have the likes of J.Saifiti, A.Sims, Evans, Roqica as back up.

 

[Irish-bulldog]

Anybody else think that Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa should be touring Europe with maybe a 3 match test series in France or tests against England and Wales with maybe warm up games against Cumbria or a select London/south XIII??

Needs to happen before the World Cup

 

[Clarkent]

Fiji's pack at full strength is quite decent. Not as good as Tonga's but it is more than competitive.

8. D. Saifiti
9. Koroisau
10. Campbell-Gillard
11. Kikau
12. T.Sims
13. K.Sims

14. Bukuya
15. Kamikamica
16. Milne
17. Lovodua

Then you have the likes of J.Saifiti, A.Sims, Evans, Roqica as back up.

Any forward pack with kikau in it is a solid forward pack lol

 

[Coastbloke]

Anybody else think that Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa should be touring Europe with maybe a 3 match test series in France or tests against England and Wales with maybe warm up games against Cumbria or a select London/south XIII??

This. Absolutely.

 

[TheFrog]

Anybody else think that Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa should be touring Europe with maybe a 3 match test series in France or tests against England and Wales with maybe warm up games against Cumbria or a select London/south XIII??

That would be lovely, but there are problems to overcome. Would it make money? If not, who pays? And then there's the NRL clubs that these guys play for and are paid by. Will they be happy to allow their players to tour Europe in the off season and start their pre-season a month or more likely 2 months late? I can imagine Penrith's attitude to RCG and Kikau lobbing home in mid-November, probably in less than fantastic shape injury-wise, and then having eight weeks mandated leave.

 

[Clarkent]

Samoa full strength team
1 Jamayne Isaako
2 Brian To'o
3 Tim Lafai
4 Joseph Leilua
5 David Nofoaluma
6 Anthony Milford
7 Dylan Brown
8 Junior Paulo
9 Jarome Luai
10 Braden Uele
11 Josh Papalii
12 Josh McGuire
13 Marty Taupau

14 Jazz Tevaga
15 Herman Eseese
16 Josh Aloiai
17 James Gavet
This team can match the Tongans and Fiji... McGuire is the only one that's 50/50 cause of the kangaroos... But the kangaroos have so much depth in the forwards even he might miss out and play for Samoa at the end of the year... And Samoa could use a big workhorse player like him...

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Fiji are a very slick team these days. With the NSW Cup team happening they will just get better and better. Three world cup semis in a row suggest that they have been the fourth best nation in the world for quite a while.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Samoa full strength team
1 Jamayne Isaako
2 Brian To'o
3 Tim Lafai
4 Joseph Leilua
5 David Nofoaluma
6 Anthony Milford
7 Dylan Brown
8 Junior Paulo
9 Jarome Luai
10 Braden Uele
11 Josh Papalii
12 Josh McGuire
13 Marty Taupau

14 Jazz Tevaga
15 Herman Eseese
16 Josh Aloiai
17 James Gavet
This team can match the Tongans and Fiji... McGuire is the only one that's 50/50 cause of the kangaroos... But the kangaroos have so much depth in the forwards even he might miss out and play for Samoa at the end of the year... And Samoa could use a big workhorse player like him...

Do you think RTS and Asofa Solomona are any chance of defecting to Samoa?

 

[adamkungl]

Do you think RTS and Asofa Solomona are any chance of defecting to Samoa?

NAS said he never will

 

[Clarkent]

Do you think RTS and Asofa Solomona are any chance of defecting to Samoa?

NAS already said he won't but all that might change if the kiwis don't pick him anymore RTS is a big maybe... I saw he's interview and they asked him if he would ever play for Samoa and he said he would love to play for Samoa and he still supports them when they play the other teams... But not at this moment cause he still loves playing for the kiwis... Look in a few years time RTS in my eyes will strongly consider Samoa... Only because he's don't everything for that kiwi Jersey... He's played 2 World cups for them and beaten the kangaroos as well... So he might want a new challenge and help Samoa out...

 

[RedVee]

Surprised to see the Bati in all black instead of the pale blue.
Anyone know what that was about?
Surely not thinking the Lebanon jersey was a clash?

 

[deluded pom?]

That would be lovely, but there are problems to overcome. Would it make money? If not, who pays? And then there's the NRL clubs that these guys play for and are paid by. Will they be happy to allow their players to tour Europe in the off season and start their pre-season a month or more likely 2 months late? I can imagine Penrith's attitude to RCG and Kikau lobbing home in mid-November, probably in less than fantastic shape injury-wise, and then having eight weeks mandated leave.

Will the clubs whinge next season when their players are playing for Australia?

 

[deluded pom?]

Anybody else think that Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa should be touring Europe with maybe a 3 match test series in France or tests against England and Wales with maybe warm up games against Cumbria or a select London/south XIII??

It has to happen. I’d love to see Fiji, Tonga or Samoa in a three match series against England.

 

[Clarkent]

It has to happen. I’d love to see Fiji, Tonga or Samoa in a three match series against England.

Man that would be awesome

 

[Burns]

Surprised to see the Bati in all black instead of the pale blue.
Anyone know what that was about?
Surely not thinking the Lebanon jersey was a clash?

Those black jumpers looked amazing tbh

 

[stormbati]

Have Fiji and Tonga ever met in a full international?

Yes. May 6th 2017 Pacific Triple Header @ Campbelltown.
Both named pretty good teams but I remember being disappointed with some of Fiji’s big guns pulling out after being named. Tonga had Fifita ruled out too IIRC. Radradra was going through his legal battles and so on.
Kikau was the star for Fiji that night and had only made his debut for Penrith a week earlier.
Tonga scored in the 78th to win a tight one. Was a great game btw.

 

[Pommy]

Yes. May 6th 2017 Pacific Triple Header @ Campbelltown.
Both named pretty good teams but I remember being disappointed with some of Fiji’s big guns pulling out after being named. Tonga had Fifita ruled out too IIRC. Radradra was going through his legal battles and so on.
Kikau was the star for Fiji that night and had only made his debut for Penrith a week earlier.
Tonga scored in the 78th to win a tight one. Was a great game btw.

I was at this game as England played Samoa right after. It was a great night the stadium was packed and had a real carnival atmosphere.
I believe that was the game Fifita shafted Tonga last minute and went to play for Australia in the ANZAC test instead.

 

[Perth Red]

Fiji are a very slick team these days. With the NSW Cup team happening they will just get better and better. Three world cup semis in a row suggest that they have been the fourth best nation in the world for quite a while.

The draw tends to favour Fiji though. Its be hard to say Tonga weren't the 4th best team in last years RLWC and could be a strong argument for them being the third best after overcoming NZ and losing the semi to England on a ref decision. Be good to see Tonga v Fiji for bragging rights to 4th place

 

[deluded pom?]

The draw tends to favour Fiji though. Its be hard to say Tonga weren't the 4th best team in last years RLWC and could be a strong argument for them being the third best after overcoming NZ and losing the semi to England on a ref decision. Be good to see Tonga v Fiji for bragging rights to 4th place

Without taking this OT Tonga didn’t lose the WC semi because of one refereeing decision.