TONGA'S royal dynasty reaches back more than 1000 years to 925. Richie
Dixon's knowledge of Tongan rugby is nothing like so long, but as the
Scottish forwards' coach here on the South Pacific tour, he provides a
link between the past and the present in contact between the countries
who meet at the Stade Le Perouse here tomorrow.
Dixon was at wing forward in the Glasgow team who beat Tonga's 1974
tourists by 33-16 at Hughenden. The Tongans came back from the dead in
scoring four tries in a final flurry.
He remembers those Tongans 19 years ago as preferring to maul. They
were, too, unorthodox, with ball transference more in the seven-a-side
style and frantic support play.
Since then the Tongans, individually as well as collectively, have
learned from more regular contact with New Zealand and Australian rugby.
Tongans now drive fiercely into the tackle, as their Western Samoan
neighbours did in the 1991 World Cup. It borders almost on illegality as
their initial instinct is to hit at about chest-height, body-checking
rather than grasping their opponents.
As a former international referee, tour manager Allan Hosie is
planning a quiet discussion with New Zealand referees Terry Marshall and
Lindsay McLachlan, who is to be in charge of tomorrow's Test match.
Scots learned the hard lesson in beating a Tongan President's XV by
21-5 here on Wednesday evening. The hits seen and felt that night will
be ample warning for the Test match.
Dixon pinpointed one similarity between 1974 and now in that the
Tongans still support well. All those years ago they did their
backing-up wide out whereas now they play a more orthodox game that
demands close-quarter support.
As they showed on Wednesday, the Tongans favour a game driving close
to the set-piece and second phase. They lay the ball back in the tackle,
and the support sweeps it up to carry on. In that respect it is
significant that two back-row players and the scrum half are among seven
Tongans who remain from Wednesday for tomorrow.
''We defended well,'' Dixon commented on the Scottish performance on
Wednesday, ''but we let them get into us. Our initial contact was too
far back, and I'll be looking for even more commitment in the tackle.''
As a consequence of the big hits on a rock-hard ground on Wednesday,
two Scottish players, Martin Scott and Kenny Milligan, will be on their
way home by the time tomorrow's match kicks off. Rob MacNaughton, who
damaged a shoulder in that game, could not be considered for the Test.
Five of the Test team played on Wednesday. Craig Redpath and Gregor
Townsend broke through from that winning performance, Robb Scott was
called in on the morning of the match after Andy Macdonald had gone down
with flu, whereas Kenny Logan and Jim Hay were needed as replacements.
Tomorrow, however, the Scott/Macdonald roles may be reversed. The latter
was told this morning to stand by for possible call-up as Scott had a
sore throat, the early symptoms of flu.
While Scott and Milligan are on their way out of Fua'amotu Airport
they will probably meet their replacements. Ian Cocoran and Cameron
Glasgow are due to arrive here on the flight that is to take the injured
pair to Auckland on the first leg of their journey home.
Making a more leisurely Pacific tour, three Taiwanese warships sailed
into port this morning. Their arrival awoke late-risers with a 21-gun
salute in honour of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.
Tonga -- I Tapueluelu; A Vasi, T Tu'ineau, M Lavaka, T Va'enuku; E
Vunipola, E Tulikaki; V Moa, F Masila, E Talakai, T Loto'ahea, I Fatani,
F Fakaongo, M Manukia, I Fenukitau.
Scotland -- A C Redpath (Melrose); M Moncrieff (Gala), S A Nichol
(Selkirk), I C Jardine, K M Logan (both Stirling County); G P J Townsend
(Gala), A D Nicol (Dundee HS FP), captain; G R Isaac (Gala), J A Hay
(Hawick), S W Ferguson (Peebles), C A Gray (Nottingham), R Scott (London
Scottish), D J McIvor (Edinburgh Academicals), G W Weir (Melrose), I R
Smith (Gloucester). Replacements -- N J Grecian (London Scottish), D S
Wyllie (Stewart's Melville FP), B W Redpath, C D Hogg (both Melrose), G
D Wilson (Boroughmuir), P M Jones (Gloucester).
Referee -- L McLachlan (New Zealand).
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