2017 Wales rugby union tour of Tonga and Samoa

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
2017 Wales rugby union tour of Tonga and Samoa
Date16–23 June 2017
Coach(es) Warren Gatland
Tour captain(s) Jamie Roberts
Summary
PWDL
Total
02020000
Test match
02020000
Opponent
PWDL
Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga
1 1 0 0
Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa
1 1 0 0
Tour chronology
Previous tour New Zealand 2016
Next tour Americas 2018

In 2017, the Wales national rugby union team's summer tour saw them play test matches against Tonga on 16 June and Samoa on 23 June. The match against Tonga was played in Auckland, New Zealand, due to concerns over the state of Teufaiva Sport Stadium in Nukuʻalofa. Wales won the match 24–6, before beating Samoa 19–17 in Apia. [1] A veteran of the 2009 and 2013 Lions tours but unselected for their 2017 tour to New Zealand, centre Jamie Roberts captained Wales on this tour, which also saw lock Adam Beard make his international debut; Beard went on to play for the Lions on their 2021 tour to South Africa.

Contents

Squad

With head coach Warren Gatland leading the British & Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand, assisted by Wales attack coach Rob Howley, [2] forwards coach Robin McBryde was named as coach for the tour to Tonga and Samoa, just as he had been in previous Lions years in 2009 and 2013. [3] In December 2016, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) were reported to have approached Ospreys and Cardiff Blues head coaches Steve Tandy and Danny Wilson, and Scarlets backs coach Stephen Jones about supplementing McBryde's coaching staff. [4] Wilson and Jones were appointed, along with Blues attack coach Matt Sherratt, [5] but Wilson and Jones withdrew before the tour due to club commitments. [6] [7]

The Lions squad included 12 senior Wales players, resulting in 12 uncapped players being named in the 32-man squad for the tour, which was captained by centre Jamie Roberts. [8] Ospreys lock Bradley Davies missed the tour due to the impending birth of his second child, [9] while 38-cap veteran hooker Richard Hibbard was also omitted, [10] and prop Gethin Jenkins missed the tour after undergoing knee surgery. [11] Wing Steff Evans' place on the tour was put into doubt when he was sent off in the Scarlets' win over Munster in the Pro12 semi-finals; [12] however, the red card was rescinded and he was cleared to play. [13] Full-back Rhun Williams suffered an ankle injury in the Cardiff Blues' European Champions Cup qualifying match against Stade Français; [14] he was subsequently replaced in the squad by Exeter Chiefs full-back Phil Dollman, [15] only for Dollman to injure his knee in Exeter's win over Wasps in the English Premiership final on 27 May. [16] The Scarlets' Rhys Patchell was called up to the training squad while Dollman's injury was assessed, [17] before Dollman eventually pulled out on 5 June. [18] Forward James King was injured in the Ospreys' loss to Munster in the Pro12 play-off semi-finals and replaced in the squad by Scarlets flanker Aaron Shingler. [19] Shingler's teammates, props Samson Lee (knee) and Rob Evans (hand), and lock Jake Ball (shoulder), also pulled out due to injury; Ball missed the Pro12 final against Munster due to his injury, while Lee and Evans were injured during the match. [17] [20] Evans was replaced in the squad by Ospreys prop Gareth Thomas, while fellow Osprey Rhodri Jones joined the training squad as Lee's injury was assessed, [17] before finally replacing Lee on 5 June. [18] Four of the Wales squad – Tomas Francis, Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies – were called up to play for the Lions midway through the tour. [21]

NamePositionClubNotes
Scott Baldwin Hooker Ospreys
Kristian Dacey Hooker Cardiff Blues Called up to British & Irish Lions squad
Ryan Elias Hooker Scarlets
Rob Evans Prop Scarlets Withdrew due to hand injury
Tomas Francis Prop Exeter Chiefs Called up to British & Irish Lions squad
Rhodri Jones Prop Ospreys Injury replacement for Samson Lee
Wyn Jones Prop Scarlets
Samson Lee Prop Scarlets Withdrew due to knee injury
Nicky Smith Prop Ospreys
Gareth Thomas Prop Ospreys Injury replacement for Rob Evans
Jake Ball Lock Scarlets Withdrew due to shoulder injury
Adam Beard Lock Ospreys
Seb Davies Lock Cardiff Blues
Cory Hill Lock Newport Gwent Dragons Called up to British & Irish Lions squad
Rory Thornton Lock Ospreys
Ollie Griffiths Back row Newport Gwent Dragons
Ellis Jenkins Back row Cardiff Blues
James King Back row Ospreys Withdrew due to injury
Josh Navidi Back row Cardiff Blues
Aaron Shingler Back row Scarlets Injury replacement for James King
Thomas Young Back row Wasps
Aled Davies Scrum-half Scarlets
Gareth Davies Scrum-half Scarlets Called up to British & Irish Lions squad
Tomos Williams Scrum-half Cardiff Blues
Gareth Anscombe Fly-half Cardiff Blues
Sam Davies Fly-half Ospreys
Rhys Patchell Fly-half Scarlets Injury replacement for Phil Dollman
Owen Williams Fly-half Leicester Tigers
Tyler Morgan Centre Newport Gwent Dragons
Jamie Roberts Centre Harlequins Captain
Scott Williams Centre Scarlets
Cory Allen Wing Cardiff Blues
Alex Cuthbert Wing Cardiff Blues
Steff Evans Wing Scarlets
Keelan Giles Wing Ospreys
Phil Dollman Full-back Exeter Chiefs Injury replacement for Rhun Williams; withdrew due to knee injury
Rhun Williams Full-back Cardiff Blues Withdrew due to ankle injury

Matches

Wales scheduled a two-test tour for summer 2017, in which they would play against Tonga and Samoa. The second match was scheduled for the Samoan capital, Apia, but the facilities in Tonga led World Rugby to name Auckland, New Zealand, as a contingency venue. [22] Renovations of the Teufaiva Sport Stadium in Nukuʻalofa were expected to be completed in June 2017, but not in time for the Wales game. An assessment of the facilities in Tonga took place in December 2016, [23] but with the pitch not yet in place, the WRU met with World Rugby to further discuss the contingency of moving the fixture to New Zealand. [24] In February 2017, the uncertainty over the readiness of the new stadium meant it was confirmed that the game would not be played in Tonga, [25] and in May 2017, the game was officially moved to Auckland, to be played on 16 June, a day earlier than originally scheduled. [26]

RGC 1404 v Wales

As part of a six-day training camp in North Wales ahead of the tour, Wales played an uncapped friendly against 2016–17 WRU National Cup winners RGC 1404 at Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay. Five uncapped players were named in the starting XV: Adam Beard, Seb Davies, Ollie Griffiths, Aled Davies and Keelan Giles. [27] Wales scored 14 tries, including hat-tricks from Cory Allen and Tyler Morgan, braces from Ellis Jenkins, Alex Cuthbert and Thomas Young, and one each from Jamie Roberts and Gareth Anscombe, to claim an 88–19 win. [28]

2 June 2017
RGC 1404 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg 19–88Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales XV
Try: Bagshaw 21' m
Hughes 31' c
Yardley 39' c
Con: Botica (2) 32', 40'
Report
Timeline
Squads
Try: Jenkins (2) 4' m, 14' c
Allen (3) 8' c, 16' c, 68' m
Morgan (3) 18' c, 29' c, 40+2' c
Roberts 34' c
Cuthbert (2) 41' m, 80' c
Anscombe 47' m
Young (2) 60' m, 76' c
Con: Anscombe (7/9) 9', 15', 17', 20', 30', 35', 40+3'
O. Williams (2/5) 76', 80'
Eirias Stadium, Colwyn Bay
Referee: Ian Davies

Tonga v Wales

Wales' first match on tour was against Tonga, played at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, due to the facilities in Nukuʻalofa not being ready in time for the match. Coach Robin McBryde named three uncapped players in his starting XV – lock Seb Davies, flanker Thomas Young and wing Steff Evans – while a further six were named on the bench. [29] Fly-half Sam Davies opened the scoring with a penalty, before Alex Cuthbert scored the first try of the game midway through the first half, though Davies missed the conversion. Sonatane Takulua responded with a penalty for Tonga, but despite Davies hitting the post with two more kicks, Wales took an 8–3 lead into half-time. Another Takulua penalty three minutes into the second half cut the Tonga deficit to two points, but three more penalties from Sam Davies pushed Wales out to a 17–6 lead before a last-minute penalty try gave them a 24–6 win. [30]

16 June 2017
Tonga  Flag of Tonga.svg6–24Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Pen: Takulua (2/4) 22', 43' Report Try: Cuthbert 18' m
Penalty try 79'
Pen: S. Davies (4/6) 2', 51', 67', 77'
Eden Park, Auckland
Attendance: 26,129
Referee: Nick Briant (New Zealand)
FB15 David Halaifonua
RW14 Nafi Tuitavake Sub off.svg 70'
OC13 Siale Piutau (c)
IC12 Viliami Tahituʻa Sub off.svg 59'
LW11 Cooper Vuna
FH10 Latiume Fosita
SH9 Sonatane Takulua Sub off.svg 77'
N88 Valentino Mapapalangi
OF7 Nili Latu Sub off.svg 74'
BF6 Daniel Faleafa
RL5 Steve Mafi
LL4 Leva Fifita
TP3 Ben Tameifuna Sub off.svg 56'
HK2 Paul Ngauamo
LP1 Latu Talakai Sub off.svg 58'
Replacements:
HK16 Suliasi Taufalele
PR17 Sila Puafisi Sub on.svg 56'
PR18 Phil Kite Sub on.svg 58'
FL19 Sione Tau
FL20 Michael Faleafa Sub on.svg 74'
SH21 Leon Fukofuka Sub on.svg 77'
FH22 Kali Hala Sub on.svg 59'
WG23 Kiti Taimani Vaini Sub on.svg 70'
Coach:
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Toutai Kefu
Tonga vs Wales 2017-06-16.svg
FB15 Gareth Anscombe
RW14 Alex Cuthbert Sub off.svg 40'
OC13 Scott Williams Sub off.svg 58'Sub on.svg 67'
IC12 Jamie Roberts (c)
LW11 Steff Evans
FH10 Sam Davies
SH9 Gareth Davies
N88 Josh Navidi Sub off.svg 78'
OF7 Thomas Young Sub off.svg 58'
BF6 Aaron Shingler
RL5 Cory Hill
LL4 Seb Davies
TP3 Tomas Francis Sub off.svg 78'
HK2 Kristian Dacey Sub off.svg 58'
LP1 Nicky Smith Sub off.svg 78'
Replacements:
HK16 Ryan Elias Sub on.svg 58'
PR17 Wyn Jones Sub on.svg 78'
PR18 Dillon Lewis Sub on.svg 78'
FL19 Ellis Jenkins Sub on.svg 58'
FL20 Ollie Griffiths Sub on.svg 78'
SH21 Aled Davies Sub on.svg 70'
FH22 Owen Williams Sub on.svg 58'Sub off.svg 67'
CE23 Cory Allen Sub on.svg 40'
Coach:
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Robin McBryde

Touch judges:
Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Cam Stone (New Zealand)
Television match official:
Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Samoa v Wales

Wales' second and final match on tour saw them face Samoa in Apia. The home side had lost 78–0 to New Zealand the previous week, in the second match of a double-header at Eden Park, following Wales' win over Tonga. [31] With Tomas Francis, Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies called up to the British & Irish Lions' squad, and Alex Cuthbert injured in the win over Tonga, coach Robin McBryde was forced into making seven changes from that side. Dillon Lewis, Ryan Elias, Rory Thornton and Aled Davies replaced the Lions call-ups, while Cory Allen replaced Cuthbert; Tyler Morgan came in for centre Scott Williams, while Ellis Jenkins took over from openside flanker Thomas Young in the two unforced changes. Meanwhile, Samoa made six changes from the team that lost to New Zealand. [32]

Ten of the Wales team fell ill before the match, [33] and they went behind early thanks to a try from Alapati Leiua, converted by Tusi Pisi, who also kicked a penalty; in response, Sam Davies kicked three penalties for Wales to ensure they went into half-time only a point down. Steff Evans' try just after the break put Wales into the lead for the first time in the match, but Manu Leiataua's try meant the lead lasted just 10 minutes; however, Evans scored another try – his second in as many international appearances – eight minutes from the end to give Wales a 19–17 win, their first in Samoa for 31 years. [34]

23 June 2017
Samoa  Flag of Samoa.svg17–19Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Try: Leiua 3' c
Leiataua 52'
Con: Pisi (2/2) 4', 53'
Pen: Pisi (1/2) 9'
Report Try: S. Evans (2) 41' m, 73' m
Pen: S. Davies (3/4) 12', 19', 37'
Apia Park, Apia
Attendance: 5,167
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
FB15 D'Angelo Leuila
RW14 Alapati Leiua
OC13 Kieron Fonotia
IC12 Rey Lee-Lo
LW11 David Lemi (c)Sub off.svg 75'
FH10 Tusi Pisi
SH9 Kahn Fotuali'i
N88 Alafoti Fa'osiliva Sub off.svg 48'
OF7 Galu Taufale Sub off.svg 59'
BF6 Piula Faʻasalele
RL5 Fa'atiga Lemalu
LL4 Chris Vui
TP3 Paul Alo-Emile Sub off.svg 77'
HK2 Manu Leiataua Sub off.svg 68'
LP1 Viliamu Afatia Sub off.svg 59'
Replacements:
HK16 Seilala Lam Sub on.svg 68'
PR17 Nephi Leatigaga Sub on.svg 59'
PR18 Bronson Tauakipulu Sub on.svg 77'
FL19 Faifili Levave Sub on.svg 48'
N820 Sanele Vavae Tuilagi Sub on.svg 59'
SH21 Dwayne Polataivao
CE22 Henry Taefu
FH23 Tila Mealoi Sub on.svg 75'
Coach:
Flag of New Zealand.svg Alama Ieremia
Samoa vs Wales 2017-06-23.svg
FB15 Gareth Anscombe
RW14 Cory Allen
OC13 Tyler Morgan Sub off.svg 59'
IC12 Jamie Roberts (c)
LW11 Steff Evans
FH10 Sam Davies
SH9 Aled Davies
N88 Josh Navidi
OF7 Ellis Jenkins
BF6 Aaron Shingler Sub off.svg 64'
RL5 Rory Thornton
LL4 Seb Davies Sub off.svg 48'
TP3 Dillon Lewis Sub off.svg 64'
HK2 Ryan Elias Sub off.svg 56'
LP1 Nicky Smith Sub off.svg 56'
Replacements:
HK16 Scott Baldwin Sub on.svg 56'
PR17 Wyn Jones Sub on.svg 56'
PR18 Rhodri Jones Sub on.svg 64'
LK19 Adam Beard Sub on.svg 48'
FL20 Thomas Young Sub on.svg 64'
SH21 Tomos Williams
FH22 Owen Williams
CE23 Scott Williams Sub on.svg 59'
Coach:
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Robin McBryde

Touch judges:
Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Rohan Hoffmann (Australia)

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