Tonga halfback Ata Hingano to take on Samoa despite facial injury
HALFBACK Ata Hingano will take his place in Tonga’s side to face Samoa on Saturday despite suffering a nasty facial injury against Scotland.
NRL
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HALFBACK Ata Hingano will take his place in Tonga’s blockbuster Pacific derby against Samoa on Saturday despite suffering a nasty facial injury against Scotland.
The 20-year-old, who has played just a handful of NRL games for the New Zealand Warriors, has been tasked with leading a star-studded Tongan team alongside Wests Tigers five-eighth Tui Lolohea.
The talented No.7 came away from last Sunday’s 50-4 win over Scotland in Cairns with added confidence — and 10 stitches — after returning to the field following an accidental elbow to the face in the first half.
“I copped an elbow. I was coming third man in to wrap up a tackle and the attacker turned and I got his elbow right in the mouth,” Hingano said.
The impact split Hingano’s lip below the nose which left Tonga’s medical staff needing to stem the bleeding before stitching him up.
“When it first happened I came in for the anaesthetic and that helped numb it for the entire game,” Hingano said.
“It wasn’t until after the game where I started to feel the pain again.”
Hingano spent an extended period off the field, at a time when Tonga lost their way somewhat after a 38-0 first half, because the rising half wasn’t allowed to undergo a Head Injury Assessment while his lip was being tended to.
The Tongans arrived in Auckland just after midnight on Tuesday to a heroes’ welcome, with a thousand fans greeting them at the airport.
After Samoa’s first-up loss to New Zealand, Tonga can put a huge dent in their Pacific rivals’ World Cup hopes with victory in Hamilton on Saturday.
Samoa have beaten Tonga in their past two encounters and will be reeling from their disappointing showing against the Kiwis.
“The hype around it is like the grand final,” Hingano said of the Samoa build-up. “But it’s just another game.
“The hype around it is definitely exciting and I’ll be looking forward to it as well.”
Hingano re-signed with the Warriors for another three seasons this year, and is the frontrunner to partner Shaun Johnson in the halves and replace Canterbury-bound Kieran Foran at five-eighth.
But at the World Cup, the pressure is on the inexperienced Hingano to guide Tonga through the tournament with a potent backline and a forward pack featuring the likes of Jason Taumalolo, Andrew Fifita and Manu Ma’u.
“All week we’ve been planning for our backs to play off our middles,” Hingano said. “We know it means me, Tui (Lolohea) and the spine have an easier job when they get us going forward.”