Terrific Tonga deliver knockout blow to Kiwis
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A clutch field goal from Isaiya Katoa with four minutes on the clock secured Tonga a dramatic 25-24 victory over the Kiwis, which sees them advance to the Pacific Cup final against the Kangaroos and resigns the defending champions to a do-or-die relegation scrap.
Having utterly dominated the opening 34 minutes to lead 24-0 on the back of completing all 17 of their opening sets, Tonga then fell away in spectacular fashion to leak 24 unanswered points and allow the Kiwis to tie the game with 12 to go.
But at that point Katoa emerged, with the 20-year-old Dolphins playmaker calmly slotting the one-pointer which put his side back in front, this time for good.
Katoa nails a field goal
The visitors still had to survive a late Jamayne Isaako penalty shot, which missed to the left, and two field goal attempts – one charged down and the other wide of the posts – to confirm a famous victory, which snapped a five-game losing streak and propelled the Kingdom to the tournament decider.
Isaako with a chance for the lead
New Zealand meanwhile, 12 months on from hammering the Kangaroos 30-0 to win the inaugural Pacific Championships title, will now have to play the Bowl competition's top side – likely to be either Papua New Guinea or Fiji – for the right to remain in the top section for 2025.
To say the first half was one-sided would be an understatement. Powerhouse forwards Addin Fonua-Blake and Jason Taumalolo laid a commanding platform with 100-metre plus efforts in the first half, with the former among Tonga's four try-scorers in the first stanza.
AFB from the back fence
Sione Katoa opened things before the Kiwis had even touched the ball with an effort in the corner.
In the face of a Tongan onslaught in the middle, New Zealand were battling just to get out of their own half and resorted to forcing offloads which only made their situation more challenging.
By the time Fonua-Blake steamrolled through the middle from 15 metres out on 24 minutes the Tongan's were well and truly on top.
Stabbing runs from Siliva Havili and Soni Luke added more points, before Tonga's first error of the game gifted New Zealand possession for an Isaiah Papali'i hit back.
Siliva Havili Try
That set up a run of 24 unanswered points for the Kiwis, who added further tries through Keano Kini and Phoenix Crossland early in the second half.
Joseph Tapine's solo stunner, in which he put boot to ball on a wayward offload before regathering and darting down the sideline for one of the greatest solo tries you'll see from a front-rower followed, and the Kiwis had ample opportunity to win it from there.
Joseph Tapine Try
Instead Katoa stood tall, kicking the go-ahead field goal before Kristian Woolf's men survived a dramatic final few minutes to advance.
Match: Kiwis v Tonga XIII
Week 3 -
home Team
Kiwis
3rd Position
away Team
Tonga XIII
2nd Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Match Snapshot
- The victory was Tonga's first over the Kiwis in Auckland and just their second ever.
- Tonga will now face Australia in the Pacific Cup final, while the Kiwis will play a promotion-relegation match against the top Bowl side.
Tonga are in the Cup Final
- Tonga had scored only eight points in their prior three Test matches before scoring 24 in the space of 34 minutes on Saturday.
- Addin Fonua-Blake (224) and Jason Taumalolo (188) led the way up front for Tonga with huge metre hauls.
- The Kiwis had to make 376 tackles to Tonga's 367.
- Phoenix Crossland topped the tackle count with 45 in a 66-minute stint.
Play of the Game
Addin Fonua-Blake's powerhouse effort was a microcosm of all that was good with Tonga in the first half on Saturday night. After making light work of would-be tackles from Leo Thompson and Joseph Tapine, 'AFB' left Keano Kini with no chance of pulling him down, before he unleashed his trademark celebration in front of the Go Media Stadium East Stand for the ninth time in 2024.
Addin Fonua-Blake Try
What They Said
"There were plenty of opportunities there, when things were going against us in the second half, to drop our heads and maybe end up with a different result, but they hung in, they played tough. The scenes out there at the moment, you don't get that anywhere else [other than Auckland]. The fans, the way they turn out, the way they support this team, they are so proud of the team and the efforts they put in, and I am just as proud." – Tonga coach Kristian Woolf.
Tonga: Week 3
"Very tough [to take]. The first half we were just physically battered, they ran harder, tackled harder and forced us into errors. We just lost focus on jobs at times... gave up a couple of soft tries by doing defensive stuff that's not part of our principles." – New Zealand coach Stacey Jones.
Kiwis: Week 3
