Sport

Ireland v Tonga Rugby World Cup preview

This weekend, Ireland will face Tonga in their second game of the World Cup.

Andy Farrell's side heads into the game with one win under their belt already. Last week, Ireland beat Romania 82-8 in Bordeaux.

If you are thinking of watching the game this weekend, we have got you covered.

Here's a full preview of the game to come this Saturday.

Tours , France - 2 September 2023; The Ireland pack, from left, Jack Conan, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Rob Herring, Andrew Porter and Peter O'Mahony during an Ireland rugby open training session at Stade Vallée du Cher in Tours, France. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

When is it on?

Saturday 16th September 2023

What time is it on?

8:00pm (9:00pm local)

What TV station is it on?

Live on ITV (UK) and RTÉ (ROI)

Where is it on?

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes

What time does coverage start?

7.30pm (8.30pm local)

Can I listen to it on the radio?

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Sounds and online

Are there tickets still available

Ticket sites can be found here

What are the odds

Odds can be found here

Referee

Wayne Barnes (England)

How many times have the sides played each other

Ireland and Tonga have only met once previously at the Rugby World Cup; during the pool stages in 1987

What is the head 2 head record

Ireland won their only match in 1987

What happened the last time the sides played

Ireland won that match 32-9 in Brisbane.

Ireland squads and scorers that day

FB 15 Hugo MacNeill
RW 14 Trevor Ringland
OC 13 Brendan Mullin
IC 12 David Irwin
LW 11 Keith Crossan
FH 10 Tony Ward
SH 9 Michael Bradley
N8 8 Derek McGrath
OF 7 Neil Francis
BF 6 Phillip Matthews
RL 5 Donal Lenihan (c)
LL 4 Willie Anderson
TP 3 J. J. McCoy
HK 2 Terry Kingston
LP 1 Job Langbroek
Replacements:
FB 16 Philip Rainey
CE 17 Michael Kiernan
SH 18 Tony Doyle
FL 19 Paul Collins
CE 20 Des Fitzgerald
HK 21 Steve Smith

Ireland scorers: Try: Mullin (3)
MacNeill (2)
Con: Ward (3)
Pen: Ward (2)

Tonga scorers Pen: Amone (3)

Ireland's team to face Tonga

Ireland team

Fullback 15. Hugo Keenan

Winger 14. Mack Hansen

Centres 13. Gary Ringrose 12.Bundee Aki

Winger 11. James Lowe

Out half 10. Johnny Sexton Scrum half 9. Conor Murray

Front row 1. Andrew Porter 2. Ronan Kelleher 3. Tadhg Furlong

Second row 4. Tadhg Beirne 5. James Ryan

Back row 6. Peter O’Mahony 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris

Replacements: 16. Rob Herring 17. David Kilcoyne 18. Finlay Bealham 19. Iain Henderson 20. Ryan Baird 21. Craig Casey 22. Ross Byrne 23. Robbie Henshaw

Our team to face Tonga in Nantes! 🟢#TeamOfUs

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 14, 2023

What has Andy Farrell has said

"(It's) a bit of continuity from last week. It's a different game, a different challenge with Tonga, isn't it? Respecting the opposition is absolutely at the forefront of our minds. Respecting the competition, but more importantly, respecting ourselves," said Farrell on Thursday.