Reuben Thorne admits the All Blacks have had it easy with their World Cup rugby schedule compared to the tournament's minnows.
Pool D has the greatest discrepancy of any. The All Blacks play their four matches in the space of 23 days while Tonga play theirs in 15, with tomorrow's testbetween the two here being Tonga's third in nine days. Italy have the worst deal at the tournament, having four games crammed into 14 days.
Tongan coach Jim Love has joined a list of other coaches from weaker nations in criticising the International Rugby Board. The lop-sided schedule is just one of many discrepancies in their eyes.
Thorn agreed there was an imbalance.
"Some of the teams have got really tough draws, there's no doubt about it," he said.
"It's the luck of the draw and it's out of our control but it certainly makes it tough for them.
"(The draw) suits us pretty well because it gives you time to develop and try things training-wise. And it gives a good build-up if you use that time wisely."
Love said a lot of people weren't aware of the constraints on time and finances his team faced in the lead-up to the tournament.
One of the "positives" to come out of the tournament was that the plight of weaker rugby nations was being put under the spotlight.
"We're quite different to most teams," Love said.
"Tonga have to buy their own balls. We don't get sponsorship for balls, we don't get apparel. We basically have to pay for most of our own stuff and that takes up a lot of our finances and that's why a lot of players can't be paid.
"I'm pretty proud of the way the boys have pulled together and stuck together," he said.
"We've had a lot of issues that have come across us but they're bigger than that."
Love hoped the concept of the Pacific Islanders -- a combined team comprising the best players from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa -- would eventuate. The Islanders tour of New Zealand was still scheduled to go ahead midway through next year.
