Daily Times

Tongans are born rugby players,” says Peter Harding, CEO of Tongan Rugby, but the problem is translating that into success on the pitch when they lack financial resources and Tests against top-tier teams.

Harding, a straight-talking 63-year-old Australian, said far from the sport becoming more competitive with teams challenging the established order, this Rugby World Cup had highlighted that “there’s a big gap building again between the two tiers”.

He spoke to AFP ahead of Tonga’s 45-24 win over Romania, which at least sent the Pacific Islanders back home on the back of a victory after heavy defeats by the top two teams in the world, Ireland and South Africa.

They pushed Scotland hard — “I think we could have had them,” said Harding — but given that the Tongans thought they had their strongest ever team, fortified by former All Blacks, it would seem a disappointing campaign.

Harding, though, thinks they “showed in parts we can be an extremely good team.” “My view is that at the 2015 World Cup, the margins were getting tighter,” said Harding.

“I think especially the Six Nations teams have worked really hard over the last eight years and become far more professional and better at what they’re doing.

“There’s a big gap building again between the two tiers.

“I suppose Australia’s falling a little bit at the moment,” he said, after the Wallabies crashed out in the group phase. “But they’ll come back.”

Harding, who has also worked in top-level English rugby and for the Australian Rugby Union, said it was not just a lack of playing Tests against tier-one sides in between World Cups, but having the finances.