Tonga player ratings: Vaea Fifita and Afusipa Taumoepeau disappoint with shocking shoulder-led hits

After their 45-17 Rugby World Cup defeat against Scotland at the Stade de Nice, here’s how the Tonga team performed on Sunday.

15 Charles Piutau: The former All Black showed his class with some outstanding runs from the back which gave his team good attacking momentum. Showed off his vast array of skills throughout and caught the eye with a deft offload in the build-up to Solomone Kata’s try. 8

Solid all-round showing

14 Solomone Kata: The 28-year-old proved a real handful with ball in hand as he finished with a team-high 95 metres gained from eight runs and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. Also did well on defence with eight tackles made. 8

13 Malakai Fekitoa: Not his best day at the office as he had few attacking opportunities and when he found himself in space he was kept in check by the Scotland defence. Made nine tackles but missed six. 5

12 Pita Ahki: The Toulouse stalwart was a willing ball carrier but restricted mostly to defensive duties and he eventually completed 10 tackles. 6

11 Afusipa Taumoepeau: The Perpignan flyer was very lucky to only receive a yellow card for a head-high tackle on Scotland skipper Jamie Ritchie. Apart from that he made some good attacking runs and gained 32 metres. 5

10 William Havili: The Moana Pasifika playmaker was solid off the kicking tee but did not catch the eye in other areas. 6

9 Augustine Pulu: The 33-year-old was lively during his 55-minut stint on the field before being replaced by Tane Takulua. Pulu delivered a crisp service to his outside backs and impressed on defence with eight tackles made. 7

Poor performance from highly rated back-row

8 Vaea Fifita: Came into this match with a big reputation after a solid outing against Ireland but could not replicate that performance. Was anonymous on attack and finished with seven tackles made before being yellow carded for an illegal hit on Finn Russell which was later upgraded to red. 4

7 Sione Talitui: The Crusaders flanker was in the thick of the action from the outset as he competed bravely at the breakdowns, and shone on defence with a team-high 14 tackles. He also impressed on attack. 7

6 Tanginoa Halaifonua: Gave good support to Talitui on defence and eventually completed nine hits and also did his bit as a ball carrier, although he made little headway in that department. 7

5 Sam Lousi: The Scarlets second-row did what was expected of him in the lineouts and impressed on defence with eight tackles made. Replaced by Adam Coleman in the 55th minute. 6

4 Halaleva Fifita: Another who did well in the execution of his core duty in the lineouts and came to the fore with a fine defensive effort in which he completed 10 tackles. 6

Captain leads by example

3 Ben Tameifuna (c): Ikale Tahi‘s skipper can be proud of his efforts as he led by example with a fantastic all-round performance. Emptied the tank as he stood up well in the scrums, completed 13 tackles and did his bit as a ball carrier which saw him rewarded with a well-taken try. 8

2 Paula Ngauamo: He was on the field for 52 minutes before being replaced by Samiuela Moli but did not impress during his outing. Made seven hits in defence but was off target with his throw-ins at the lineouts on a few occasions. 5

1 Siegfried Fisi’ihoi: Like Tameifuna, he did well in the scrums but, unlike his captain, he made little impact in other areas. 6

Replacements: Although Tonga were competitive for most of this match, their lack of depth was exposed as most of the players who came off the bench could not match the efforts of the starters who they replaced. Sione Vailanu caught the eye with some fine attacking runs but nothing else to report. 5

READ MORE: Scotland claim maximum points against Tonga to stay in Pool B conversation