KEY POINTS:
PARIS - Tonga could only have dreamt before the World Cup that they would play South Africa in a top-of-the-pool match at Lens on Saturday.
A shock win over Pacific rivals Samoa has given Tonga hopes of reaching the quarter-finals at the expense of the Samoans and defending champions England, who meet in Nantes in the day's other Pool A clash.
"We had some targets when we arrived and realistically you could say that we've achieved that. Anything now is a bonus," said Tonga coach Quddus Fielea.
South Africa, who demolished England 36-0 in Paris last Friday, are favourites to win the match and the pool. They are top with nine points, one more than Tonga. England have four, Samoa one and the US none.
Springboks coach Jake White has made 13 changes to the team that beat England, effectively fielding a reserve side, backed by a strong bench that includes Percy Montgomery, who will set a South African record of 90 caps if he comes on.
"Tonga have got eight points so they will also be backing themselves to make the quarter-finals and it is good to know for the group who are starting that we are taking this test match seriously," White told reporters.
"One of the things we discussed as a group is putting some senior members on the bench to help them prepare. So we have John (Smit), Victor (Matfield) and Percy Montgomery just to mention three of the bench there just to add a little bit more stability and confidence within this group as well."
'CRASH BANG'
Bobby Skinstad, captain for the day, said Tonga are "a crash bang side that we have really got to get in their faces and be physical, prove that we have the physicality to play them at their own game."
Tonga, who have won two matches at a World Cup for the first time, have only met South Africa once before when the Springboks won 74-10 in Cape Town in 1997.
Typical of the Tongans' south sea insouciance, centre Epeli Taione said: "We're going to enjoy it. There's no pressure on us, but we're here to win.
"We have a very good squad, players like Finau (Maka), who I think is the best number eight at this World Cup. It's great to have people like him in our army," Taione, who scored a try against Samoa, told reporters.
Tongan disciplinary problems led to Taione and replacement prop Toma Toke being sin-binned and flanker Hale T Pole sent off against Samoa.
"Tonga against Samoa is always very, very special. The fact it was in the World Cup meant that the intensity was at its highest and with the challenges in that game we're talking about a matter of centimetres," Tonga's assistant coach Ellis Meachen said.
"We've had a talk about discipline, but we won't be telling our players to back off. That's not the Tongan way of playing rugby. I'm sure South Africa won't be holding back either."
- REUTERS
