Duffy aware of Tonga threat

Scotland assistant coach John Duffy is fully aware of the threat that Tonga will pose in tonight’s World Cup showdown at Workington.

The Bravehearts squad may be boosted with experienced faces from both the Super League and NRL, but Duffy is taking nothing for granted against the diverse Tongan talent.

“They’re notorious for having a big pack of forwards but they’ve got a dynamic back five as well so there’s threats everywhere,” he said.

“They’ve got the likes of Kite and Moimoi in the middle and a good half-back pairing so our prep has to be good to deal with that.

“Our lads have been working really hard in training and our sessions so far have been really tense and enthusiasm has been great despite the Cumbrian weather.

“It’s nothing new to me having played for Whitehaven in the past, and thankfully different facilities have been made available for us regardless of the weather.

“A few of the Tongans have played in the Super League so I’m sure they’ll let their teammates know about British weather but we’re due some gale-force winds which can get really bad up this end.”

Duffy is also keen for the players to enjoy their once in a lifetime World Cup experience and lifted the lid on some of the pranks happening in camp.

“We try to stick together as much as possible,” he added. ‘We’ve been to a few different events so it’s just about having a laugh and enjoying time off the field as well as on it.

“We’ve got table tennis in the squad room and I did catch Danny Addy getting a stinger off Danny Brough a few days back so he needs to scrub up on his ping pong skills.

“I owe head-coach Steve McCormack because he’s pranked me a few times.

“They played a trick on me and had me thinking I’d dented his car; I was outside almost crying like a girl and trying to think of how to apologise.

“There was another time when we had our tartan pants delivered and someone switched the labels and tried to get me in a 32” waist.

“I’ve not been that size since I was 16 but I’ve got a while to get everyone back whilst we’re still together.”