SANDY - Fly half Patrick Pellegrini scored three tries and added another 10 points with his boot as Tonga defeated a game Canada 35-24 in the third-place game Saturday at the Pacific Nations Cup rugby tournament.

The game ended with the Canadian men laying siege to the Tonga goal-line but the comeback fell short.

The victory moves Tonga up two spots in the world rankings to No. 17, leapfrogging Portugal and Uruguay. Canada remains at No. 24.

It marked Tonga's best showing at the tournament since 2018 when it was runner-up to Fiji. It was Canada's highest finish since 2013 when it finished runner-up to Fiji.

The game came one day after the second-ranked Canadian women turned heads with a 34-19 win over defending champion New Zealand at the Women's World Cup in England.

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