Kangaroos captain Isaah Yeo says Friday night’s Test against Tonga is a chance to create a fresh Australian rugby league legacy.
The Kangaroos will launch the Pacific Championships against Mate Ma’a at Brisbane’s Lang Park.
It is the first encounter between the two nations since 2019 when Tonga shocked the Kangaroos with a 16-12 win in Auckland.
The Kangaroos are still ranked number one in the world but were beaten 30-0 by New Zealand in their last Test in November.
Yeo said the Kangaroos had moved on from last year’s convincing loss to the Kiwis.
“There’ll be a response but it’s also a different group,” Yeo said.
“We’ve got six debutants and we’re trying to create our own legacy.
“You certainly don’t look past what happened last year and the lessons from it.
“We spoke about it early in the camp.
“When you wear this jersey there is an expectation to win and that’s the really strong history of this jersey.
“It’s certainly no different for us.
“We need to go out and put on a good performance for our country.”
Tonga boasts an enviable pack that includes co-captains Jason Taumalolo and Addin Fonua-Blake.
Yeo said he and his fellow forwards would have their hands full against Tonga.
“It should be a cracker,” Yeo said.
“That’s where the big battle is. They’ve got a wonderful forward pack and a lot of big outside backs that do a lot of work.
“That’s certainly where it’s going to be won.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. We’ve got a pretty strong forward pack ourselves, albeit a little different in size.
“It’s a really good match-up.”
AAP
