Tonga have secured victory in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup with a 31-18 win over Japan at Eden Park in Aukland.
Tonga claimed the first try of the match after the seventh minute with a break from the scrum by Viliami Ma’afu, but their opponents managed to get their names on the scoreboard seven minutes later via tight-head prop Kensuke Hatakeyama.
Despite drawing level, Isitolo Maka’s side managed to increase their lead almost immediately with a try in the left corner after the ball was crossed to Lua Lokotui. Kurt Morath added an additional two points to the board after a successful conversion.
After end-to-end play, Japan managed to score a try through Michael Leitch after stealing at the ruck from Tonga, however the lead is restored to the Tongans after Morath secured an extra three points on the board through a penalty, followed by another three-pointer on the 32nd minute mark.
Just before the break Japan got themselves within a converted try of the Tongans through a Shaun Webb penalty bringing the score to 18-13.
Tonga added to their lead after the break through a penalty from the side's number 10 Morath, which increased the gap to seven between the teams. Japan faced a tough test after Fetu'u Vainikolo secured a try for the Tongans while Morath completed the conversion to give Maka's team a comfortable lead.
Despite Tonga's dominance, their Japanese opponents kick-started a comeback after Alisi Tupuailai secured a try after breaking from the scrum. However, they were unable to overcome Tonga's defence and were resigned to a loss in Auckland.
