Tonga to try new tactics

Tonga have acknowledged that they must make a paradigm shift when they face Namibia at Sandy Park on Tuesday.

The Ikale Tahi are still reeling after their shock 10-17 defeat against a determined Georgia in the Pool C opener last week.

They have since accepted that their approach to that particular fixture was perhaps one-dimensional and are prepared to try and be a little more dynamic and more cerebral before making the trip to Exeter.

Tonga centre Siale Piutau said: "Last week we got into a boxing match and took them on pound for pound." 

He added that against Namibia the team would have "to play a bit of chess".

Team number eight Viliami Ma'afu has echoed similar sentiments about this, explaining that lessons had been learned since then. He added that the islanders needed to adopt a more tactical approach to their rugby, not just on Tuesday but in future. 

"We're hurting, what we learnt is that we need to make tactical decisions more quickly," said Ma'afu.

The one who was particularly perturbed by what transpired in the match against Georgia was Tonga coach Mana Otai, who had made the bold decision of announcing Piutau and Ma'afu as co-captains ahead of the Namibia fixture.

"Two heads are better than one," said Otai. 

"We are treating Namibia with the utmost respect. We're desperate for the win. We'll treat every game as our last. We learnt our lessons from Georgia," added the Tonga coach.