Tonga star Tui Lolohea on 'massive' Samoa clash and putting Jake Connor rivalry aside at Huddersfield Giants

After unconvincing wins over Papua New Guinea and Wales, Kristian Woolf's side sent a message to their World Cup rivals by running in 16 tries at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

Lolohea, who helped himself to a brace in a record win for Tonga, was taken back to his formative years as a rugby league player during a thoroughly one-sided contest.

"Maybe when I was a junior kid but I hadn't played in a game like that at this level before," he told The Yorkshire Post.

"It was a performance people were probably waiting for us to put on.

"It was a slow start for us but we've clicked into gear now. It was the perfect time to do it leading into a do-or-die game."

Tonga's reward for topping Group D is a quarter-final showdown with Pacific rivals Samoa this Sunday.

It has been dubbed the biggest match of the tournament so far – and Lolohea can hardly wait.

"It's going to be massive," he said.

"It's always a rivalry when we play against Samoa and there’s plenty of hype around two Pacific island teams going head to head.

"After our performance in the last game, the boys are looking forward to it."

Should Tonga see off Samoa in Warrington, they would likely meet England in a repeat of the 2017 semi-finals for the right to face Australia or New Zealand in the Old Trafford decider.

"These are the games we want to be a part of," added Lolohea, who was in the Tonga team that beat Great Britain and Australia on back-to-back weekends in 2019.

"We've done it in the past and made our own history in doing so. Hopefully we can add this one to the history books by doing better than the last World Cup and going all the way."

Lolohea spent the 2022 Super League season at full-back but is deployed as a half-back by Woolf.

A dominant pack led by the destructive Jason Taumalolo allowed Lolohea to find his groove against the Cook Islands.

"Playing for Tonga, that was one of my best performances, if not my best," said the 27-year-old.

"I felt composed out there. My kicking was my big focus coming into this tournament and I felt like that was the best I've kicked consistently.

"I'm pretty proud of that and that's something I've got to build on."

Lolohea may be in World Cup mode but he has had one eye on Huddersfield's recruitment, with Jake Connor one of nine additions to Ian Watson's squad for 2023 and beyond.

The first order of business for Lolohea and Connor will be to bury the hatchet.

"It's going to be a weird one," said Lolohea.

"I've always had a bit of a rivalry with him on the field and little niggles.

"I've heard a lot of stories that he's a really nice bloke off the field. It's going to be an interesting one but he's my team-mate now and it is what it is.

"Watto has improved the squad and created some competition. It's exciting times for Huddersfield."