Northumbria University has hosted the 31-man Tongan Squad as they trained for their big match against New Zealand. The University was selected as the official team base for the Tongan team by Rugby World Cup organisers who judged Northumbria’s state-of-the-art facilities as being suitable for this prestigious international tournament.
The squad, who were accompanied by a 15-strong management and support team, used the University’s outdoor grass pitches at Bullocksteads and the gym and strength and conditioning labs at the £30 million Sport Central. The team visited the University for training between Tuesday 6 October and Friday 9 October in advance of their big game against favourites New Zealand at St James’ Park and even partook in a friendly match against Team Northumbria's 1st team.
