One of Tonga’s best in an entertaining contest against Australia, forward Haumole Olakau'atu said his side need to put ‘the icing on the cake’ to get a win against New Zealand.
Despite going down 18-0 to the Kangaroos in the opening men’s match of the Pacific Championships, Tonga looked the better team for much of the match - especially in the first half - only for their last tackle plays and overall execution to let them down.
“Obviously not the result we wanted, but it was definitely a tough game and we knew Australia wasn't going to back down and I was just very grateful to be a part of such a big game, especially in front of our fans," Olakau'atu told NRL.com.
“I think our efforts are definitely there, all the boys scrambling and saving tries, I think we saved about four.
“It's just when we get down to the opposite end, it's just executing our plays and we'll definitely go back to the drawing board and work on it over the next fortnight. Like I said, our effort’s there, it’s just that bit of icing on the cake to win.”
As expected, the Tonga forwards were one of the key strengths for the side, with Olakau'atu saying he enjoyed the challenge of facing the top ranked side and it showed; stepping up with 116 rum metres, 59 of them post contact including seven tackle busts.
“Oh definitely, it's always good going up against the best team in the world and to challenge you as a forward pack to be better,” Olakau'atu said.
“I feel like we're heading in the right direction after this game.”
The Manly star was full of praise for his side’s three debutants Paul Alamoti and Sea Eagles teammate Lehi Hopoate and Taniela Paseka, with the fullback having an eventful first match including a number of try saving tackles and a sin bin for trying to slow down the Kangaroos on the attack.
“They were really well, especially young Lehi Hopoate; he's pretty good for his little body weight,” Olakau'atu said.
“Big congratulations to all three of them and hope for more games to come.”
A Test debut to remember
Tonga now have the second week of the Pacific Championships off and will have a time to recover before preparing to face another tough contest against New Zealand in Auckland with plenty of fans set to in support and willing them to upset the hosts.
“We can't overlook their hold pack, they've got a strong forward pack also,” Olakau'atu said of the test ahead.
“We’ll have to rest our bodies for next week and hopefully come to camp again with the right intentions and the right mindset.”
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