Tonga in pool of death at the Rugby World Cup

The 'Ikale Tahi Tonga Rugby side is in a pool where they will have to be at their best throughout at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Defending World Cup champions South Africa, current world No.1 Ireland, world No.5 Scotland and Romania make up the pool.

Coach, Toutai Kefu has described it as a pool of death.

But he believes the team can cause upsets if they click on the day.

Tonga has competed in every Rugby World Cup since the first one in 1987, except for 1991 when they failed to qualify.

Their best performances were in 2007 and 2011.

In 2007 they finished third in their pool behind England and South Africa after wins over Samoa and the United States.

They defeated France in 2011, though it wasn't enough to progress to the knockout stages.

Their build-up to this year's event has been mixed, so there is a feeling of uncertainty about what they can do in France.

They won matches against Australia A and the two-Test series against Canada.

However, all their Pacific Nations Cup matches resulted in losses to Fiji, Japan and Samoa.

But they have some key players who can, as a team, cause upsets in their pool.