4. Adam Coleman
Hoping to make his debut for Tonga this Saturday, lock Adam Coleman is the one exception on this list that has not been capped by the All Blacks. Instead, the former London Irish man has previously made 36 appearances for the Wallabies, in an international tenure that stretched from 2016 to 2019. Tongan rugby is within Coleman’s heritage, as his father is the former Tonga captain Pau’u Lolohea-Afeaki.
Coleman’s further family ties include his cousin, who is also another former captain of Tonga. Ex-Hurricane Inoke Afeaki captained the Sea Eagles throughout the late ’90s and into the new millennium, before hanging up his boots in 2007. Another one of Coleman’s cousins, Ben Afeaki, made just one appearance for the All Blacks in 2013. However, Ben Afeaki played in an era before the new eligibility laws, which stopped him from running out for Tonga like his brother Inoke and uncle Pau’u did.
Thankfully, Coleman does not have this problem in the modern rugby landscape. After completing a three year stand-down period from the Wallabies, he is eligible to run out for Tonga thanks to his heritage. Coleman played his last match for Australia in the Quarter-Finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as the Wallabies were defeated by Eddie Jones’ England 40-16. Coleman ended his six year run in Australia’s Super Rugby clubs after the trip to Japan, having previously represented the New South Wales Waratahs, Western Force and the Melbourne Rebels.
Coleman swapped Australia for life in the Premiership, and found his new home in Brentford with London Irish. The lock helped the Exiles reach back-to-back Premiership Rugby Cup Finals, yet on each occasion Irish were defeated after extra time, first to Worcester Warriors and then to Exeter Chiefs. Following the financial collapse of the Exiles at the end of the 2022/23 Premiership season, the lock found a new home with Bordeax-Begles, and made his debut against Racing 92, in an early trip to France ahead of the World Cup.
5. Vaea Fifita
Versatile forward Vaea Fifita played eleven times for the All Blacks, after breaking onto the New Zealand rugby scene with provincial side Wellington. Fifita quickly progressed into the Hurricanes’ Super Rugby set-up, and was apart of the squad that claimed the 2016 Super Rugby title. The hard-hitting Tongan is well versed to play across the back-row, starring at blindside flanker and number eight. His adaptability also enables him to slot in at lock, and pack down the scrum in the second row.
Fifita marked his All Blacks debut with a try, as he crossed over to score in a Summer test match against Samoa back in 2017. He followed this up with his first New Zealand test match start, as the All Blacks defeated France in that year’s Autumn Internationals. Fifita’s final run out in the black jersey came in the 2019 Rugby Championship draw against South Africa, as he failed to progress into the squad that later travelled to Japan for the Rugby World Cup.
Fifita persevered for a return to the All Blacks fold, and remained in the New Zealand capital for two more Super Rugby seasons. However, Fifita soon followed in the footsteps of his former Hurricanes teammate Malakai Fekitoa, and moved on to Wasps for the 2021/22 Premiership season. Fifita predominantly ran out at lock in Coventry, yet also made three appearances on the blindside flank for Lee Blackett’s side. After Wasps’ collapse in October 2022, Fifita quickly found a new home in South Wales with the Scarlets.
The 31-year-old scored a try in only his second match in the United Rugby Championship, as he crossed over against Ulster to start his Llanelli points tally. Fifita’s Tonga debut came just two months after his first run out for the Scarlets, as he started at lock in the aforementioned away demolition of Spain. His inaugural season with the Scarlets saw them reach the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-finals, before they were eliminated by eventual runners-up Glasgow Warriors. Fifita has since made nine test caps for Tonga, and hopes to hit double figures against Andy Farrell’s Ireland.