Rugby League World Cup: How England's opponents Tonga have taken the game by storm
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The emergence of Tonga has been the story of the tournament so far - but will they knock out England and reach the final?
England v Tonga, World Cup semi-final |
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Date: Saturday, 25 November, 05:00 GMT. Venue: Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland |
Coverage: BBC Two from 04:30, BBC Radio 5 live and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website. |
There's a new buzz phrase in rugby league - "Tonga? I've never seen anything like it!"
It could be their stunning emergence at this World Cup as a genuine superpower. It could be the incredible and fanatical support that follows them singing and screaming.
Either way they've got some of the game's veterans rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
And this weekend's semi-final between Tonga and England at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, could be one of the most eye-catching, ear-splitting sporting occasions of the year.
"It's massive," says their coach Kristian Woolf of their ground-breaking tournament so far.
"The prime minister was quoted last week as saying it was the greatest moment in the sporting history of Tonga. It's something really special to be a part of, but we haven't reached our potential yet."
The Tongan diaspora has elevated the team to rock star status, wherever they have travelled in New Zealand.
"After the first game we flew from Cairns to Auckland and arrived at the airport at midnight - there were 4,000 Tongans lined up to greet us," says Trad McLean, one the team's managers.
"It was like nothing I've ever seen before."
When they beat New Zealand in Hamilton a fortnight ago, the packed stands literally shook as Tongan supporters danced and sang hymns.
At a fans event in central Auckland this week before the semi-final, thousands of Tongan supporters crammed into a city square to capture photographs and autographs of their heroes.
"The figures go that there are 100,000 people living in Tonga, but 80,000 with Tongan heritage in Auckland alone," says McLean.
"They're going crazy in Tonga every time we win, but they're also having a lot of fun here."
Rugby league seismologists predicted the Tongan tremors before the tournament had begun.
They have been able to assemble a side that will offer a major threat to England's ambitions this weekend. In this tournament Tonga's strength and pedigree is second only to Australia in terms of the quality that Wayne Bennett's side will come up against.
A change in international qualification rules, coupled with the wealth swilling around the Australian club game suddenly gave them a terrific opportunity.
Historically, league has three leading nations - Australia, New Zealand and England (or Great Britain). They are the Tier One nations, the rest at this World Cup are Tier Two.
International eligibility in Australia and New Zealand is often blurred with many players qualifying for several countries based on birthplace, familial heritage and residency.
Taumalolo is a huge star in the Australian NRL, loved by Tonga fans - and a huge threat to England
In the past, even if they could play for Tonga or Fiji, Samoa or Papua New Guinea, if either the Kangaroos or the Kiwis came calling that's who a player would chose. It was a financial no-brainer.
It would be the difference between many thousands of pounds for pulling on a green and gold or black and white shirt, or next to nothing for representing a Pacific Island.
But now players like powerful forward Jason Taumalolo are earning a million pounds a year in the NRL thanks to spiralling TV deals, so money is less of an issue.
And when the Rugby League International Federation declared this year that even if you have played for a Tier One nation, you'd now be free to play for a Tier Two side, Taumalolo, Manu Vatuvei and several other high profile NZ internationals, plus Australia's David Fifita, decided to go with their heart and their heritage and team up with Tonga.
Fifita had already been named in the Kangaroos squad when he decided to opt for Tonga. Taumalolo wore a New Zealand flag at a World Cup promotional event in Sydney earlier in the year.
"They are very, very proud," says McLean. "They've all been brought up Tongan by their parents.
"Manu Vatuvei said when he made his Test debut for New Zealand his parents were very happy. But when he made his debut for Tonga, they cried. It means so much to them."
There has been some criticism aimed at the Tongan players who have switched allegiance, not least from former New Zealand team-mates who feel they have been let down by their ex-international colleagues.
They've been dubbed traitors.
But when England prop James Graham comes up against the likes of Fifita and Taumalolo this weekend, he won't have any problems with the choices they've made.
"It's helped raise the profile of the World Cup, it's made teams stronger," says Graham.
"And they are within their right to do that. Instead of people saying why they should or they shouldn't, listen to them. Listen to their reasons and you might learn."
Win or lose on Saturday, rugby league does now appear to have a fourth giant at the top table.
New Zealand go face-to-face with Tonga in heated haka
There's an argument too that Fiji should be considered a fifth leading nation.
After all, just a week after Tonga had become the first Tier Two nation to beat a Tier One side in more than 20 years, Fiji became the second.
They knocked out New Zealand 4-2 in a gripping quarter-final.
However, New Zealand were particularly poor and Fiji's performance against Australia in the other of this weekend's semi-finals would be a better measure of where they are at.
But there is no doubt that Tonga's sky-rocketing profile and their thousands of fanatical fans, together with Fiji and PNG's performances in the tournament, has led to a real desire to make international rugby league a much more serious concern for the game's often club-obsessed culture.
"It's the pinnacle," says former England skipper and current tour manger Jamie Peacock, who believes the NRL, the league in which most of the world's best players are based, holds the key.
"The fact that Fiji had never played New Zealand before this tournament, that's just crazy.
"We need more, but the NRL clubs need to make it happen. We say it after every World Cup, but the NRL clubs need to understand there is an international game."
Trad McLean agrees.
"I hope they understand what a strong product they've got now," he says.
"The idea that we only have three Tier One teams, that's been turned on its head. Something has changed.
"Think about the rugby union World Cup. In the '90s, there were only two or three sides that could win that, now there's half a dozen.
The exploits of the national side is big news back in Tonga
"Hopefully, in 10 years that's where the rugby league World Cup will be."
But for the moment, it's all about Tonga and this semi-final.
You can't buy a Tongan flag for love nor money in these parts - there are thousands attached to cars and houses and wrapped around waists. Word has it that desperate fans are now buying up Canadian flags because they look similar.
It will be a sea of red at Mount Smart on Saturday and a true test of England's World Cup ambitions.
The English players' temperament will be tested by the thunderous hits on the field and the crackling atmosphere created by Tonga's passionate supporters.
And regardless of the result, the English fans in the ground will tell you: "I've never seen anything like it."
You can follow the fortunes of your favourite team with live match notifications sent straight to your phone or tablet via the BBC Sport app. Line-up, kick-off, score, half-time and full-time options are available for all teams participating at the World Cup.
- Published15 October 2017
