Tongan team takes time out

Ikale Tahi, the Tonga Rugby Union team are staying in Exeter for Rugby World Cup 2015.

On Tuesday 22 September, they visited Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) with their families. Accompanied by the Cllr Lesley Robson the Deputy Lord Mayor and the city mace bearer, they visited Exeter quay, enjoyed tea on the Cathedral Green and visited the museum.

Welcomed by the Museum Manager Camilla Hampshire and Curator of Ethnography Tony Eccles, their tour of the museum included RAMM’s Oceania displays in the World Cultures galleries, Touch-Line, the exhibition of photographs by Michelle Sank recording Rugby culture in Devon and Exeter in the lead up to RWC 2015, and a special RWC 2015 display of Tongan art.

The Art of Tonga display includes bark cloths and clubs that were presented to Captain Cook during his world voyages in the late 18th century and are now part of the museum's collection.

Tonga’s next game is against Namibia at Exeter’s Sandy Park Stadium on Tuesday 29 September.