England edged out Tonga 22-18 at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Sunday in the opening test between the two nations.
The contest delivered everything we expected – hard carries, brutal collisions and outstanding skill. And there was very little to separate the two sides on the day.
Tonga had the upper hand over England in several departments - they enjoyed a 53% share of possession and ended with a completion rate of 83% compared to England’s 79%.
However, England won the territorial battle – particularly in the second half – helping them outscore Tonga in the second stanza and ultimately grind out the win. Shaun Wane’s side managed to spend more time in the opposition half and in the opposition 20 despite having the ball for almost three less minutes than Tonga.
Collectively, England also made more metres than Tonga despite Kristian Woolf’s side taking 27 more carries.
The English side made 1451 metres compared to Tonga’s 1438, with two-try hero Tom Johnstone topping the metre making charts thanks to an impressive 227 run metres.
In fact, Man of Steel finalist Johnstone had a productive day all round with ball in hand. Alongside his try scoring and run metres, he made more post-contact metres (58) than any other player, as well as making two line breaks and five tackle busts.
Player of the Match Mikey Lewis had a busy day too – he crossed for a try, made 118 metres, two line breaks and eight tackle busts.
Defensively, Matty Lees brought his A-game for England, completing a match high 39 tackles – missing none – during a solid 41-minute display.
Tonga captain Addin Fonua-Blake led from the front at St Helens – the NRL prop of the year made 186 metres from 22 carries, along with four tackle busts and 28 tackles during a lung-busting 70 minutes through the middle.
Tolutau Koula was a constant threat on the Tongan flank – the Manly flyer crossed for a try, ran for 153 metres from 17 carries as well as 49 post contact metres, made a line break and four tackle busts.
England managed on the whole to nullify Tonga’s big, athletic forward pack. Their tackle efficiency finished at 88.75% whilst Tonga finished on 84.26%.
Shaun Wane’s side ensured they had numbers in the tackle to slow down Tonga’s go forward. England consistently flocked defenders into tackle, completing three-man tackles 61 times during the game, compared to Tonga’s 38 three-man tackles.
This significantly effected the amount of play the balls both sides won and lost. England were dominant around the ruck, resulting in Tonga losing 67 play the balls compared to England’s 37.
Tonga also had noticeably slower play the ball speed throughout the contest, with 46 play the balls taking four seconds or more, whilst England had comparatively less with just 24. Kristian Woolf was quick to address the ruck speed following the opening test and will be keen to improve his sides endeavour around the ruck ahead of the second test at Huddersfield.
You can book your place to watch England take on Tonga this Autumn with tickets starting from £25 for adults and £12.50 for U16s. Get your tickets here!
