News about Ben Tameifuna

WORLD OF RUGBY: Fin Baxter may look back on Saturday afternoon as the time when his life changed forever. The Harlequins prop conquered a monster and announced himself as England's next prop star. A remarkable aspect of what Quins achieved in Bordeaux is that, for all the razzle-dazzle brilliance and the 12 tries - six apiece - in the classic, close encounter, so much of the post-match talk was about the visitors' baby-faced loosehead. All the attention was fully deserved. What Baxter did defied the laws of physics. The 22-year-old is not a small man by any means. He weighs more than 18 stone. But he was up against Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna, whose weight is conservatively listed as 23st 2lbs, but may be far more than that. He is a cult hero in the French city where he lives and works. They adore the havoc he wreaks on opposition scrums.

South Africa's 49-18 triumph over Tonga brought a moment of pride as both teams shared communion on the pitch. Both players from both teams came arm in arm after the hard-fought game, which temporarily moved the Sprigboks to the top of Pool B due to a bonus point.

Ireland, who defeated Romania 8-8 in their Rugby World Cup opener, is a strong favorite to beat Tonga in Nantes tonight. Andy Farrell's team is down by a slim margin of victory. In the meantime, Tonga, who face a variety of issues due to their size and athleticism, isn't given a chance with the bookies, as Ben Tameifuna and Co currently sits as 25/1 outsiders to win. Caelan Doris and Josh Van De Flier are joint 6/1 favourites to win the man of the match award elsewhere in a separate market.

RORY KEANE: When Romania set up in Bordeaux last weekend to face Ireland, they had Fonovai Tangimana and Tevita Manumua in their ranks. Both a pair of Tongan-born backs who had been looking for pastures new and were now wearing the colors of their adopted country. Nuku'alofa, Tonga's capital, and Bucharest's capital, is only about 167,000 kilometers apart, but a Pacific Islander's journey to earn a living is a long one. Tongans will be seen pleading for their trade in any international – and semi-pro – rugby tournament. Although this tiny country in the south Pacific has a population of 106,000 residents, they have always punched above their weight on the biggest stage.