Editorial: Home team needs our support - Tonga that is

Auckland has long called itself the Polynesian capital. Photo / Chris Loufte

Opinion

When Tonga play Australia at rugby league in Auckland tonight, there will be no doubt which are the home team.

Tongans living in Auckland and coming from Tonga for the game have made the match a sell-out and made their enthusiasm seen and heard in the city over the past week or two.

So much so, the Kiwis team and their retinue might be feeling left out in the cold, even after their victory over Australia last weekend.

All Kiwis should welcome the Tongan enthusiasm.

This is in no sense an invasion, Tonga are at home here, all the Polynesian islands have one foot in New Zealand, so to speak.

A good proportion of the population live here, Auckland has long called itself the Polynesian capital.

Plenty of Tongans live in Australia and the United States too but when they live here they are still in Polynesia.

Their league and their supporters are on a mission tonight.

Having beaten the Kiwis here in last year's World Cup, only to stumble against England in the semifinals, they badly want the Kangaroos' scalp tonight.

Win or lose, they will vent their emotions around the city afterwards and good for them.

It's their city, they make us a place larger than we would otherwise be.

We have Kiwis such as Jason Taumolo who chose to play for Tonga and good on him.

He extends our loyalties, proves New Zealand embraces the islands it supports and gives us a stake in tonight's game.

Go Tonga.