Tonga

Manu Samoa coach Stephen Betham has made six changes to his starting side to face Canada in Toronto.

Viliamu Afatia, Iosefa Tekori and Faifili Levave get a start in the pack with local lad Faialaga Afamasaga getting a chance in the number 12 jersey.

The other two changes from the team that drew with Fiji is the return of Sinoti Sinoti and Ah See Tuala out wide.

Stephen Betham says this is the coaching team's final opportunity to test combinations and to give some players more game time.

Hooker Aaron Carpenter gave Canada the perfect start when he bulldozed his way over the line in only the third minute, Gordon McRorie adding the conversion and then kicking a penalty to make it 10-0 by the 12th minute.

Kurt Morath missed with his first effort but then opened Tonga’s account with a penalty in the 19th minute, but before long fly-half Liam Underwood broke through the ‘Ikale Tahi defence and offloaded to Carpenter for the hooker to score his first test try double.

The council met in Tonga and it was the first time that ministers of Meteorological Services from around the Pacific met in conjunction.

The head of the Samoa Meteorology Division, Mulipola Ausetalia Titimaea, says delegates are concerned about the number of weather-related tragedies at sea.

He says countries rallied their support behind an initiative to set up a working group on marine and oceans services.

The Chief Executive Officer for the 2019 Tonga Pacific Games Organising Committee  and for Prime Minister Lord Savele said it was one of the questions asked since games are being played at the XV Pacific Games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

“One of the issues asked of us the other day was what our response would be about sports on Sunday, we have decided we’d go back to the traditional way we’ve been running the Pacific Games and for Sunday we’ll allow everybody to rest or go to the beach but there will be no sport played on Sundays when you’re in Tonga,” said Lord Savele.

Cabinet announced earlier this year it's intention to join the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Multiple petitions and marches followed the announcement including a parliamentary resolution asking the government not to ratify CEDAW.

Opponents have expressed concern that it will allow same sex marriage and abortion.