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Tonga will face the Cook Islands after losing back to back tests against Samoa.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Ikale Tahi capped 17 new players during tests against the All Blacks and Samoa this month, with most of their European based stars unavailable because of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Thirty players were in camp ahead of last weekend s second test against Samoa - a World Cup qualifier - in Hamilton, but injuries and unavailability have depleted their squad further, with just 27 players in the mix to play on Saturday afternoon.
Hooker Siua Maile, lock Harrison Mataele and number eight Nasi Manu picked up a knock during Saturday s 37-15 defeat in Kirikiriroa, joining Solomone Funaki and Zane Kapeli on the sidelines.
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“Not from our side of the coin,” he said. “It’s a test match, they’re representing their country, and we expect the same passion we’d expect out of any international team.” In many ways what happens on Saturday night (the All Blacks have an average winning score of 70-7 against the Tongans) is irrelevant. This, and the following two weeks against a more capable Fiji outfit, are mere stepping stones for what Foster hopes will be a return to the mountaintop in 2021. The coach has set the No 1 world ranking as this team’s driving ambition, and after failing to win half of their tests in a user-friendly schedule last year, it has been made clear that significant improvement is a non-negotiable for this campaign.