NRL Pacific Championship: Tonga win 25-24 over New Zealand Kiwis to set up final against Kangaroos
Tonga stunned the Kiwis early, before surviving a New Zealand comeback, and some late drama, to secure a historic win and set up a Pacific Championship final against Australia.
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New Zealand’s Pacific Championships Cup defence is over after Tongan iceman Isaiya Katoa put the boot into New Zealand and kicked the Mate Ma’a to the greatest win in their history.
Tonga survived a furious New Zealand fightback to win 25-24 at a sold-out Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Saturday night, and book their place in the Pacific Championships final against Australia next Sunday.
Katoa, the Dolphins halfback, announced himself on the international stage as he kicked a clutch field goal after Tonga had surrendered a 24-0 first-half lead.
New Zealand never led in the game, but winger Jamayne Isaako had an opportunity to win it with two minutes remaining, but he missed a 42-metre penalty goal with his side trailing by one point.
Inexplicably, Tonga let the ball go dead in-goal, rather than take possession and run the football back into play, giving the Kiwis another shot at victory.
However, halfback Shaun Johnson’s field goal attempt was blocked and the Kiwis were unsuccessful in a late captain’s challenge, claiming their No.7 had been taken out in the process.
Now, instead of one of the greatest comebacks in international football, New Zealand’s Pacific Championships Cup defence could embarrassingly end in relegation.
The Kiwis will now face the Pacific Bowl winner – either Papua New Guinea or Fiji – at CommBank Stadium next Sunday in a promotion-relegation playoff.
Ice cold Katoa 🥶#PacificChampspic.twitter.com/EEl9t3QU8m
— NRL (@NRL) November 2, 2024
TONGAN MIRACLE
Tonga scored just their second-ever win over New Zealand, evoking memories of their fairytale 2017 World Cup heroics as new Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf masterminded a Mt Smart miracle.
Addin-Fonua Blake and Jason Taumalolo led a four-tries-to-one first-half blitzkrieg that set the scene for the victory in front of a largely Tongan crowd.
Tonga’s only other win over the Kiwis was in the 2017 World Cup at Waikato, where they prevailed 28-22.
TAUMALOLO TURNS BACK THE CLOCK
Tonga lock Taumalolo proved he was far from a spent force with a remarkable first-half performance.
The 31-year-old has faced questions around whether he would see out his record 10-year deal with North Queensland, which still has three seasons to run, after averaging just 39 minutes in 23 appearances for the cowboys in 2024.
However, the Tongan Torpedo hit back at the critics as he produced 12 hit-ups for 105 metres in a barnstorming 33-minute stint that coincided with Tonga powering to a 24-0 lead. He finished the match with 20 runs and 180m in a spirited performance for Tonga.
BLOWN AWAY EARLY
Tonga won the physical battle early as they jumped out to a 24-0 lead.
Sione Katoa opened the scoring after just three minutes for Tonga, diving over in the right corner before New Zealand had even touched the ball.
It was a hot start from the Tongans, who went 50m on their first set, and built on repeat sets to get early points on the board, having been held scoreless in their 18-0 Pacific Championships opener against Australia a fortnight earlier.
Fonua-Blake scored a brilliant solo try and veteran hooker Siliva Havili burrowed over from close range, before Soni Luke scored off a dummy half run with seven minutes remaining gave Tonga a 24-0 lead.
It wasn’t all one way, however, as Isaiah Papali’i barged over from dummy half late in the first half after Sitili Tupouniua knocked on to gift the Kiwis possession.
FED TO THE SHARKS
Cronulla fans would have been salivating after watching their new recruit, Tonga captain Addin Fonua-Blake, extend the lead with a brilliant individual try midway through the first half.
Fonua-Blake sold a dummy to Kiwi prop Leo Thompson, stepped his way past Joseph Tapine and sprinted 20m to dive over and score under the posts.
Fonua-Blake’s performance could barely be believed.
He had 18 runs for 208m, seven tackle busts – including one that sent Kiwi centre Matt Timoko reeling out of a tackle – a linebreak and a try.
He has signed a four-year deal with the Sharks and could turn Cronulla into bona fide premiership contenders.
KINI’S TITANIC PERFORMANCE
New Zealand’s Gold Coast fullback Keano Kini tore Tonga’s left edge apart in a second-half onslaught.
Kini looked dangerous whenever he touched the ball, running for 218m and busting six tackles.
RONALDO TAPINE
Joseph Tapine scored a belated contender for try of the year to level the scores at 24-all.
The Kiwi prop produced a soccer-style kick on a loose ball, after it looked like play had broken down.
From there, the Canberra prop regathered, beat winger Sione Katoa with some silky footwork on the right edge, and then ran to score under the posts.
PRE-GAME PASSION
Pacific war dances have been in the headlines since Samoa got right in the face of their England opponents while performing the siva tau in last week’s Test.
Any calls to stop the pre-game ritual should be put to bed after Tonga performed the sipi tau and New Zealand responded with an equally passionate and haka at Go Media Stadium in a spine-tingling pre-match face-off.
“You can travel the sporting globe but you won’t find a prelude that comes even close to matching what we just saw between the Tongans and the Kiwis,” Fox League commentator Warren Smith said.
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