TOPS
Finally ! After a difficult match against his former South African compatriots in the first World Cup match, winger Duhan van der Merwe returned to form against Tonga. Despite losing the ball and a try from Kata that he was unable to avoid, the Scottish colossus scored a try (26th) and often unblocked situations. Like this long ride on his wing (70th). By his count, van der Merwe carried 10 balls, broke 14 tackles and covered 144 meters. Solid.
The Chardon XV analyzed the Tongan match against Ireland well. And perfectly mastered his counterpart of the day. In the kick-first game, where White, Russell and Kinghorn in particular, perfectly swept the Tongan rear triangle in all corners of the field. Then offensively where Russell’s teammates perfectly managed the random defensive surges. The bench also brought freshness and power, suffocating the Ikale Tahi.
FLOPS
You just have to look at this casual and dangerous gesture by Vaea Fifita on Finn Russell to understand Tongan helplessness. Mentally and especially physically, the Ikale Tahi lost their footing despite a satisfactory return after the break. The inaccuracies and clumsiness continued at the end of the game and the Tongans were never able to score afterwards… Disappointing.
How can we explain that Pita Ahki, an excellent defender and undoubtedly one of the best center three-quarters in the Top 14, seemed so lost defensively on Scottish game launches? Hard to know. The Tongan climbs were hazardous, like on the tests of van der Merwe (26th) where Kata was overwhelmed then on the second of Steyn on which Ahki was caught. In the second half, the Tongan defense took on water, notably on Horne’s try where almost three players passed through.
