Wallabies legend Toutai Kefu will coach a star-studded Tongan Invitational team meeting a vintage Queensland Reds outfit in a charity match to raise funds for the battered South Pacific island nation’s recovery effort.
Kefu, also Tonga’s national coach, will guide a side at Suncorp Stadium on February 19 that includes fellow greats Digby Ioane, Radike Samo, George Smith, Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor, Nathan Sharpe, Ben Mowen and possibly former Broncos, Queensland and Kangaroos prop Petero Civoniceva.
“It’s a Tongan Invitational (team) but we’ve decided to go with a Polynesian group,” Kefu said.
“We’ll go to win (as) always when we’re playing. There’s no such thing as a gentlemen’s agreement.
“We’ll be there to win.”
However, the Vintage Reds, whose side will include Chris Latham, James Horwill, Scott Higginbotham and David Croft, will be no pushovers in a 40-minute game that will act as a curtain-raiser to the Super Rugby Pacific clash between the Reds and the Melbourne Rebels.
“There’s a great vintage of players ranging from a good age to about 20 years apart – it should be good fun,” Higginbotham said.
Donations generated by this game will be directed towards supporting the Tongan recovery effort following last month’s explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami.
“Tongan people are used to cyclones and volcanic eruptions. We’re a pretty resilient race but nonetheless, whenever something like that happens. there’s always concern for family members,” Kefu said.
“Something like this, especially for Tonga, such a little nation, brings people together.
“(There are) two thxjmtzywings Tongans build their life around and that’s family and faith, so things like this really bring the family together, and from a rugby point of view, looking forward to the rugby World Cup next year, I’ve spoken to a lot of players already, they’re really looking forward to playing for Tonga and representing Tonga.”
Kefu tipped the Reds, last year’s Super Rugby AU champions, to perform well in the augural Super Rugby Pacific competition.
“After last year’s performances I think they’ll go really well,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of momentum they can carry through, a lot of confidence and there are probably a few players there that have got something to prove after the (November-December) Wallabies tour.”
Kefu said the New Zealand teams remained the “measuring stick” for the Reds and other Australian sides.
“They’re always very good and very well prepared. For us to be really competitive with them, we’ve got to play them consistently and constantly,” he said.
