Former Kiwi braces for a day of mixed emotions

"I was born and raised here in Wellington ... but in saying that, I'm a proud Tongan, and happy to represent Tonga." Sika Manu

Almost a decade on from winning the World Cup with New Zealand, Tonga captain Sika Manu is preparing for ‘‘mixed emotions’’ when he faces the Kiwis for the first time on Saturday.

Part of the triumphant crew from 2008, where the Kiwis upset the Kangaroos 34-20 for what remains their sole World Cup victory, Manu is now sporting the red of Tonga.

Unlike some of his new comrades, who made the late defection from New Zealand, Manu has been in the Mate Ma’a ranks since 2013, playing the World Cup that year, then taking on the captaincy two years later.

The hard-running 30-year-old secondrower, who now plays in the Super League with Hull, after stints with the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers in the NRL, now has the opportunity to lead Tonga to unprecedented territory, with the chance for them to become the first tier-two country to beat one of the big three sides.

It will see him go toe to toe with Simon Mannering, Thomas Leuluai and Adam Blair, who were team-mates on that special night nine years ago in Brisbane.

‘‘I’m looking forward to it, it’s been a long time since I’ve played for the Kiwis, but I’m happy where I’m at right now and playing for Tonga, so I’m looking forward to the challenge,’’ said Manu, who debuted for New Zealand in 2008 and wore black till 2011.

‘‘Just playing against a quality side like New Zealand is always exciting, and to add on that I’ve played for them before, it just makes it that extra bit exciting.’’

While the leadup had been nothing too out of the ordinary, despite all the controversy with defections, the skipper knows when he’s likely to feel the emotions ramp up.

‘‘It will probably be the anthem,’’ said Manu, whose brother is set to sing the Tongan tune for a second week running.

‘‘I was born and raised here in Wellington, and I think it’ll be a bit of mixed emotions tomorrow. But in saying that, I’m a proud Tongan, and happy to represent Tonga.’’

And it’s not likely to be the only singing of the evening, with Manu looking forward to another parochial Tongan crowd, which added so much brilliant passion in the match against Samoa at the same venue last weekend.

‘‘You could feel the boys lift on the field when they hear the Tongan supporters sing, so that’ll be massive for us if they could turn up and do that,’’ Manu said.

‘‘You’ve probably noticed that Tongans are really proud people, everywhere we go we always find a Tongan community, and they’re really passionate and proud of their heritage. It’s been everywhere we’ve been, in Cairns and in Auckland and here in Hamilton, so it’s been really good for us.’’