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MONTPELLIER - Former captain Inoke Afeaki has warned his Tongan teammates to cut out the Pacific Island macho culture and preserve their bodies for the rest of the rugby World Cup.
Afeaki, one of 12 European-based players in the Tongan squad who were 25-15 opening winners over the United States, returns to action here on Sunday for the bone-rattling Pool A match with Samoa which could act as a springboard to the quarter-finals for the victors.
The 1.97metre lock is one of the islands' more articulate rugby spokesmen and has urged his Sea Eagles teammates to put aside the urge to prove their manhood as self-preservation in the tournament.
"Contact in rugby in the islands is regarded as something you expect to see, so guys, as a show of macho, will tend to run straight at the defender," Afeaki told AFP Saturday.
"And at this level you are asking for sore bones and sore bodies so if the guys are wise they'll avoid the contact and try to save their bodies for two more games left in the competition.
"If they're not wise, then there will be some big hits.
"The big hits are part of our culture and it's something why we love playing rugby in the islands, but you have to be realistic, if you keep doing that you are going to nurse injuries that could last you weeks."
Afeaki, 34, who earns his living playing with FC Grenoble in France, is looking with relish to taking on the Samoans, many of whom he counts as close friends.
"As we are only 50 kilometres away from each other it's like playing your brothers," he said.
"Many of them are very good friends so it's always tough to be in a situation where you have to hurt someone.
"But I'm pretty sure they'll have no problems with us, so it will be both ways.
"It's a rivalry that goes back many hundreds of years. Hopefully, we'll do what we want to do but it's going to be a very tough match. An important game for us, of course."
Afeaki believes Tonga are fielding one of their strongest squads at the World Cup, although their 'Dream Team' is not here.
"If you look at the number of our players now playing professional rugby and our seasoned professional players four years on from the last World Cup, the number is huge now," he said.
"These guys originated from Tonga, a lot of our lads who are playing in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and France have been there for a long period.
"A lot of the guys in Australia and New Zealand are locked off to us, they can't come here, 90 per cent of them won't coming back because their jobs are on the line.
"With that inhibiting the best Dream Team that Tonga could put together, then this is the best squad we can put together.
"We are pretty happy with it, it's not our Dream Team, but it's a very competent team."
Tonga traditionally rely on the strength and size of their forwards, but Afeaki says better-quality backs are broadening the team's attacking options.
"We have a lot of backs in our team now who are Sevens specialists and that gives us a bit of width in our game," Afeaki said.
"In the past we have relied on our forwards and our backs haven't been too great in the past and that forces us to go back to the forwards.
"Whereas now we have a lot of confidence when we give the ball out to the backs."
- AFP
