Kiwis calm before Tongan storm

It presents as potentially the biggest shake up of the international game, but neither the Kiwis or Tonga are placing much emphasis on being part of an historic result in their Rugby League World Cup match in Hamilton today.

No tier-two nation has ever beaten one of the big three sides, but this highly-anticipated and sure-to-be highly-charged showdown at FMG Stadium Waikato looms as the best opportunity yet, as a stacked Tongan team look to take their history-making feats one big step further.

Having never made the quarterfinals of a World Cup, Mate Ma’a have now ticked that box, following their 32-18 defeat of Samoa in Hamilton last weekend, which came on the back of their first-up 50-4 defeat of Scotland in Cairns.

Thanks for the canapes, waiter, now for that juicy main course.

It’s the one which has been eyed on the menu ever since superstar loose forward Jason Taumalolo blindsided New Zealand and switched allegiances just prior to the tournament. When fellow Kiwi contenders David Fusitu’a, Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Manu Ma’u followed suit it just made the dish look all that tastier.

The talk from both camps this week has been that everyone has moved on from the controversy stirred, though it hasn’t caused Kiwis captain Adam Blair, who was scathing of Taumalolo in the immediate days after his decision, to back down from that initial reaction.

‘‘I stand by what I said. It was in the heat of the moment, I guess I’m passionate about the Kiwis, and for me, I want people who are passionate about the Kiwis as well,’’ he said.

While that defecting group have surely sensed the heat all week, Tonga coach Kristian Woolf said he wouldn’t be having any special words to them, in a squad which overall comprises 10 former Kiwis.

‘‘I don’t think I need to, to be honest. They’re enjoying themselves, they’re enjoying what they’re doing, they’re in a good frame of mind, they’re ready to play footy.’’

So with a lineup chock-full of talent like never before, it’s now time to see if anything can change on the park for Tonga. They’ve only played the Kiwis in two official internationals before, agonisingly losing 25-24 at the 1995 World Cup in Warrington, before being smashed 74-0 in Auckland four years later.

Woolf said being the first non toptier team to knock over either New Zealand, Australia or England/great Britain, would obviously be a great feat, but it wasn’t a form of motivation.

‘‘It’s not something we’ve spoken about,’’ he said.

‘‘Win or lose this weekend, we need to come up with a performance that was better than last week, and that’s what’s going to take us forward as a team.’’

And on the other side of the fence, Blair said his team weren’t spurred on by any potential embarrassment of being the first team to fall victim to one of the ‘lesser lights’.

‘‘I haven’t even taken that into consideration, there hasn’t even been any thought about any of that stuff,’’ he said. ‘‘We obviously know that there’s quality throughout this competition, and Tonga are a quality side.’’

What Blair has been focusing his team on, throughout the campaign, is carrying a constant sense of calmness with them, both off the field, as well as on, and not wasting energy on things they can’t control. He said it’s coach David Kidwell who has been a big factor

in that regard.

‘‘Us being calm does come a lot from David and the things that he’s done with us and the way he approaches and talks to us as a group.’’

If the Kiwis retain that composure for the all-important 80 minutes today,

they can take confidence that the backend of the game could be theirs for the taking - their two second-half efforts so far reading 74-10 to Tonga’s 34-10, against the same opposition.

With the two forward packs perhaps cancelling each other out, and Tonga

even presenting quality finishers themselves, things like completion rates, discipline and accurate kicking games will play a big part, in conditions which could well be wet, but which won’t stop another bumper crowd turning out, mainly cheering for Tonga.