Daniel Tupou has backed Tonga to double down on their win over Australia – and arc up in a potential knockout with Samoa – at the upcoming Rugby League World Cup in the UK.
Tupou started on the wing as Mate Ma’a Tonga pulled off one of the biggest shocks in rugby league history, defeating the Kangaroos 16-12 in Auckland, the culmination of a trend that had seen them rise from the emerging nations of the sport to a genuine powerhouse.
“We don’t want it to be a fluke,” he told The Roar‘s Rugby League World Cup podcast, World Cup Chasers. “We want it to be a continuous thing. We know that we’ve beaten them, but how do we beat them again and keep it consistent?
“It was hard, it was a shock, and just to be part of it was an awesome experience and a great honour to finally get one over the Kangaroos. Now, it’s about how we beat them again and not make it look like a fluke.”
Due to the draw, it is likely that Tonga will have to face their old foes, Samoa, before they run into Australia. If they were to clash, it would stop the rugby league world.
“They’re pretty stacked,” said Tonga, who could face his clubmate, Joseph Suaalii, now with Toa Samoa.
“They have an awesome side and if it comes to it, that will be a great match. It’s always a great match when we play our friendly neighbour the Samoans!
“It’s physical, but great to be part of and the fans love it too. I’m sure the same goes for them, they want to take our heads off as much as we want to take their heads off, but as soon as the whistle blows, we’re back to being brothers and the love is there.”
“That little camaraderie that we have as nations means we always want to get one on top of the other. It’s all hate at the start but at the end we come together as well.”
Tupou is now a veteran, entering his third World Cup with Tonga, and has seen them rise to second in the World Rankings.
“It was my first time in the UK in 2013 – it was pretty cold!” joked the Roosters winger. “I wasn’t used to that, but it was an awesome experience and you can tell that the fans love rugby league.
“In 2017, there was a mindset where we could potentially go the whole way with the calibre of players that we had in that side.
“It was an awesome time and probably will go down as the best World Cup campaign we’ve had so far. We want to continue where we left off and go one better at this World Cup.
“We had a lot of talented players so we focussed on us and where we can use our strengths. That panned out really well.
“The expectation is high now after 2017 so it’s about taking our lessons and improving what we need to work on to continue the journey that we’ve created with a couple of new faces. It’s pretty exciting.”
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