Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu admitted that it was basically impossible for them to pick their best players after succumbing to a heavy defeat on Saturday.
‘Ikale Tahi were thrashed 102-0 by New Zealand in an embarrassing loss at Mt Smart Stadium, but it didn’t tell the whole story.
They were without their top players from Europe with Kefu scrambling around the Mitre 10 Cup to put a squad together.
There were 13 uncapped players in the 23-man outfit which faced the All Blacks and Kefu said that quarantine rules caused by Covid-19 forced them to bring in a number of new faces.
“For us in any climate it’s a challenge, and when you add the Covid on top of that it becomes more of a challenge. In all the campaigns I’ve gone through our boys don’t complain or moan, they just get on with it,” he told reporters.
With the French Top 14 and English Premiership only finishing at the end of June, Kefu admitted it added to his problems.
“Covid is a layer of difficulty,” he said.
“You’ve got the French championship and English Premiership pretty much aligned with this window, so you’ve got to hope some of those players don’t make it. This time round it’s been mainly because of Covid, players not coming back due to quarantine costs.
“They usually get one month off and then they’re back in training. They’re probably not going to spend all of that in quarantine.”
With a loophole in place allowing players who have already been capped by the likes of New Zealand and Australia to feature for other countries they are eligible for, Tonga could soon field a much stronger side.
Former All Black Malakai Fekitoa is one of those to transition and make himself available for ‘Ikale Tahi, but Kefu would like to see it made simpler by World Rugby.
”There’s a few players ready to be capped, it’s just all about timing. I believe there should be a stand-down period, but that extra hoop they have to jump through in playing sevens, it’s a layer of complication we don’t need,” he added.
“I’m happy with just a three or four year stand-down, it’ll suit us. If that’s possible, our team transforms.”