Tonga bring fireworks for party in The Tron
FIREWORKS came a night early in Hamilton, and it was Tonga who sparkled brightest, as they continued to live up to their Rugby League World Cup hype, with victory over Samoa.
With on-field efforts left to have the final say, after midweek madness on the streets, it was Tonga who proved too classy in a 32-18 Pool B victory at FMG Stadium Waikato, which has them building very well towards the big matchup against the Kiwis at the same venue next weekend.
With all the talk surrounding the men in red following all their big-name inclusions, there is an air of expectation on them, and although they tried to talk themselves down against their Pacific rivals going into the clash, they didn’t play like it on the paddock, powering to a 26-6 lead at the hour, before Samoa came back too late.
It was an atmosphere befitting nothing ever seen before at the stadium – a sea of blue and red splashed all around, flags of each nation flying proudly everywhere you looked, and hardly a vocal soul on their seat. No silliness, just passion, in the contingent of just over 18,000.
And the teams had spines tingling before a ball was even kicked, even before their respective challenges were laid.
After the anthems were proudly pumped out, all players came together to form a circle in the middle of the park and kneel in prayer. Special, special scenes, unifying all, in what was understood to have been a move initiated by the players.
The goosebumps had barely disappeared when Tonga’s Sipi Tau and Samoa’s Siva Tau went toe to toe to send all and sundry to fever pitch.
This was emotion aplenty, right here, and a hitup not even yet in sight.
While Tonga made a minor late tweak to their lineup, promoting Sione Katoa to start at hooker and sending Siliva Havili to the bench, it was the Samoan side which featured a major alteration, with five-eighth Joseph Paulo left out – with no apparent injury – and Jarome Luai handed a debut, with no NRL experience behind him.
And it was Luai who handed the early momentum to Tonga by taking William Hopoate in the air. The men in red made good with the invitation, opening the scoring in the 10th minute, as Ata Hingano grubbered through, Ken Maumalo made a meal of cleaning the ball up, and Michael Jennings scooped up to dive over.
Powering downfield from the restart to force Tim Lafai in-goal for a dropout, it looked like Tonga would turn the screws, however Samoa – with a 3-2 record over their great rivals going into this one, including winning the past two, as well their only previous World Cup meeting, in 2008 – levelled things up in the 17th minute after Jazz Tevaga burrowed over from dummy half.
Samoa threatened to take the lead thanks to the power of Joey Leilua, but he was held up over the line, and it was Tonga who enjoyed the bigger share of the ball, rolled forward with good rhythm, then shot out to a 14-6 lead by halftime.
Sio Siua Taukeiaho slotted a gift penalty to edge them ahead, then near the half-hour it was Jennings who came up with his double, collecting a Daniel Tupou knock-back from a Hingano kick. Following his hat-trick last weekend against Scotland, Jennings’ fifth made him Tonga’s highest World Cup points scorer in history.
Peni Terepo wrestled his way over in the 52nd minute then when Ben Murdoch-Masila crossed it was effectively game over, with Tonga up by 20.