19 Mar 2011

Tonga still believe it has a chance in Pacific Rugby Cup

10:25 am on 19 March 2011

Results may suggest otherwise but Tonga A coach Isitolo Maka believes his team are still a chance to with the Pacific Rugby Cup, which resumes in Suva today.

They need to beat Fiji Warriors on their home turf this afternoon to retain any realistic chance of winning the competition.

Samoa A lead the standings with three matches remaining, while second placed Fiji Warriors will have the benefit of playing in front of their home fans.

The Tongan team lost all three of their matches in New Zealand, including a 36-18 defeat to the Crusader Knights on Monday, but Isitolo Maka says he hasn't lost the faith.

"The thing I'm happy about is the way we were playing in New Zealand. I think the score don't reflect how we played but it's going to be totally different if we play like we played in New Zealand against these two teams. I think we've got a chance to beat them both."

After today's match Fiji will back up against Samoa A on Tuesday, before Samoa and Tonga A conclude the tournament next Saturday.