How a museum visit lead the Tonga national team to victory in The Rugby World Cup

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Success for Tonga National Rugby team on the "biggest stage of them all" was inspired by a visit to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter

Anyone still suffering from England’s early World Cup exit might be interested to learn how a museum visit can help a big game performance.

Ahead of Tonga’s match winning Rugby World Cup clash with Namibia on September 29, the team attended a cultural ceremony at The Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter. And it seemed to prove that learning about your country’s culture can benefit your performance.

In preparation for the game the next day, the Tongan squad were shown the importance of representing their country, for an event as huge as the World Cup, as each player were individually given their national team jersey, one by one.

Also reminding the players how meaningful their job is, the ceremony included speeches and songs for the team to pay their respects towards their ancestors and the people who previously wore the jerseys.

An ancient Tongan wooden club, on display at RAMM, played a huge role throughout the ceremony as part of “The Art of Tonga” display in the museum.

The wooden club itself was presented to Captain Cook in the late 18th century and travelled with him during his World Voyage.
 
The relationship between the English culture and the Tongan national team was considered “essential” according to Head Coach Mana Otai.

"It is important for us as to celebrate the links between England and Tonga ... and to give the boys a chance to see a part of Tongan culture they may not have been able to see otherwise," he said.

Pete Edwards, one of the RAMM’s employees described the event as “a privilege” and “an amazing experience”. He also spoke of the significance the connection between the English and Tongan culture was, especially at the Rugby World Cup.

Next time perhaps England should visit a museum as part of their pre-match preparations?

• For more information about Tonga's visit to The RAMM, please visit http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/news/tongan-rugby-team-borrow-ramm-artefact

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/art539045-how-a-museum-visit-lead-the-tonga-national-team-to-victory-in-the-rugby-world-cup