In the Rugby World Cup in France, there was a surprise upset when Tonga beat the United States of America. There is an article about the visit of the Tongan team to a British restaurant last week that might explain the reason for their success:
Mmmm, it all looks so good. That must have been quite a luncheon for Tonga's national rugby team at a pub in Lymington, England, one day last week. "We were warned," Fusion Inn manager Shannon Van Dreven told reporters later, "that they had big appetites. But when I saw the amount of food we had prepared, I thought, 'There's no way they'll finish that.'"
Wrong. In town to train for the World Cup championships in their sport, the 30 husky athletes and their coaches and trainers cheerfully posed for pictures with the regular patrons and autographed everything thrust in front of them. "I've never met such nice guys," Van Dreven marveled. But the point of their visit was to be fed, and as reports have it, the guests gobbled 30 roast chickens, 60 pounds of steak, 60 pounds of lamb, 30 pounds of potato salad, and 30 pounds of pasta ... and washed it all down with 10-1/2 gallons of orange juice.
Back in the kitchen, two extra chefs and three more waiters were called in to keep the grub coming. And as the supply dwindled, the Fusion Inn boss had to send out for $50 worth of French fries because the Tongans were still hungry. (No word on what, if anything, was for dessert.) "I couldn't believe it," Van Dreven said. "They completely cleared their plates, leaving absolutely nothing. We've never seen anything like this before." Had the team been expected to pick up the check, it would have come to almost $2,100. But Fushion Inn co-owner Isi Tuivai is Tongan and a former captain of the national team, so the meal was on the house. Oh, by the way: Due to their size, the Tongans are known as the "wrecking balls" in rugby circles.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007
Image: Tongan Rugby Team