NRL concedes Samoa enforcer should have been binned for hit that cost Tonga key star

5 days ago 6

The NRL have conceded Francis Molo should have been sin-binned for a high shot on Stefano Utoikamanu that has left Tonga’s Pacific Championships campaign on life support.

Utoikamanu’s Tonga debut against Samoa lasted just 90 seconds last Sunday when he was poleaxed by a Molo hit which ended his afternoon – then ruled him out of Sunday’s clash with New Zealand at Eden Park as part of the game’s concussion rules.

The Storm prop will now miss out on $3000 in match payments for the Kiwis clash – nearly ten times the $390 Molo was fined by the match review committee. Utoikamanu told this masthead at the start of the week he was not impressed with the tackle, saying, “I don’t know what more evidence you need to sin bin someone.”

Tongan coach Kristian Woolf asked the NRL for an explanation after the 34-6 loss to Samoa, and was told Molo should have been binned. Had Molo been given a ten-minute timeout, Tonga would have received two free interchanges, and been allowed to activate an all-important 18th man replacement.

Tonga need to beat the Kiwis by 18 points or more to advance to next weekend’s final against the Samoans at CommBank Stadium, with Samoa fans having snapped up 10,000 tickets in the space of four days.

Woolf said the Tongans were backing themselves to get the job done in Auckland, especially with the return of the team’s spiritual leader – and Utoikamanu’s front-row replacement – Jason Taumalolo.

The tackle that ended Stefano Utoikamanu’s Tongan debut.

“We dealt with the Stefano decision at the start of the week, and the NRL confirmed the player should have been sin-binned,” Woolf said.

“That had a massive impact. We also asked why Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was not binned for [taking out Soni Luke], but the NRL were less convinced about that one.

“We still should have been better. And we need to be better against New Zealand. The boys have responded well this week at training.”

Taumalolo was a late scratching against Samoa having been given an extra week to get himself ready after undergoing knee surgery at the end of the NRL season.

The Cowboys forward has been credited with changing the face of the international game after pledging his allegiance to Tonga before the 2017 World Cup, with that decision inspiring several young Tongans to follow suit.

Taumalolo enjoys a high standing in the Tongan community, as former representative enforcer John Hopoate – now part of team Tonga – discovered during a visit to the Pacific island a fortnight ago.

“He’s close to being the king of Tonga the way he is received when he walks around,” Hopoate said. “I consider myself to be a future immortal over there, but Jase is the king.”

“Jason brings a presence, he brings leadership, and the other blokes want to follow him,” Woolf said. “Look at the impact he had last year [when Tonga pushed Australia in the final].

“A lot of the guys in our team are 19, 20, 21-year-old men, they were 11, 12 and 13-year-olds when Jase decided to make the sacrifice he did to play for Tonga. Guys like Leka Halasima, Lehi Hopoate, they’re both 20, Isaiya Katoa and Demitric Vaimauga are 21, they looked up to Jase as young guys, and they want to follow in his footsteps and play with him.

“There’s no doubt Jase is popular – the Tongan locals always save their biggest reception for him.”

There is a huge Tongan community in Auckland, and they partied in the main streets for over 24 hours after beating Australia at Eden Park in 2019.