I SEE RED I SEE RED I SEE RED
But it’s all GREEN and GOLD at Mt Smart
Australia won the battle, but Tonga may yet win the war. They certainly would have gained thousands more admirers across the league world, with a spirited but error-ridden display as they went down 34-16 to the world champions.
And the Island nation have surely strengthened their case for more matches; how can league’s administrators ignore this juggernaut?
More than 26,000 Tongan fans created an unbelievable atmosphere at Mt Smart, the like of which has rarely been seen in this city.
At times it was a surreal occasion; alternating between the blood and thunder of some huge hits, to the feeling of a Sunday service as the crowd belted out church hymns.
The Kangaroos, as widely predicted, were too slick, skilful and polished, and also defended superbly under immense pressure at times.
Just like last year’s World Cup semifinal against England at the same ground, the match was decided in the first half. Tonga couldn’t get going — making mistakes and poor options — and Australia took advantage, scoring five converted tries.
Tonga looked dangerous all night, but their lack of recent match practice showed and they struggled to deal with the Kangaroos’ threats out wide.
“It was a little bit disappointing – in the first half in particular,” said Tonga coach Kristian Woolf. “We certainly put the pressure on ourselves.”
But who knows how significant this game will turn out to be in the future of international league? It seemed like a pivotal moment for the code and was a wonderful occasion.
Tongan fans were waiting outside the gates from 9am yesterday, and thousands had gathered a full two hours before kickoff. As much as a football match, it was a national gathering, as Tongans from the United States, Australia and planeloads from Nuku’alofa joined the tens of thousands from across Auckland.
“Little can be huge” read one banner, while another announced that “God is with Tonga”.
Fans stood six or seven deep at either end of the field — reminding of the 1980s at Carlaw Park — and the Sipi Tau was spine-tingling.
“It was an incredible atmosphere,” said David Fusitu'a. “The crowd was amazing, really special.”
Unfortunately, Tonga struggled to deal with the emotion and made a nervous start. A mistake in their third set gifted the Kangaroos a try, with Daly Cherry-Evans scooping up an errant Andrew Fifita pass to score under the posts.
Soon afterwards a simple missed tackle near halfway led to James Tedesco slashing into space, before putting centre Tom Trbojevic across.
Giant second rower Tevita Pangai Junior made history in the 24th minute, running off a Ata Hingano pass to score Tonga’s first ever try against the Kangaroos.
But that was the high point of the first half for Tonga, as errors and indiscipline killed any momentum.
If there was a poor decision to make, they did. Whether it was rushing out of the line or ill-judged offloads, Tonga kept handing the initiative back to the Kangaroos.
Valentine Holmes crossed in the 25th minute, then Tom Trbojevic scored his second from the next set.
Daniel Tupou’s spectacular try stemmed the bleeding, but, just as they looked to finish the half well, another poor option opened the door for the Kangaroos, and Holmes crossed right on the hooter.
Tonga rediscovered their poise in the second half, forcing four consecutive goal line drop outs, in front of their increasingly delirious fans, with Solomone Kata eventually crossing.
It was an incredible display of power football, but that was as close as they got. Tedesco extended Australia’s lead in the 63rd minute — again exposing Tonga’s right edge, and there was no coming back from there, though Tonga never stopped trying.
Australia 34 (D Cherry Evans, T Trbojevic 2, V Holmes 2, J Tedesco tries; V Holmes 5 goals)
Tonga 16 (T Pangai Junior, D Tupou, S Kata tries; S Taukeiaho, T Lolohea goal) Halftime: 30-10