The Kiwis celebrate against Tonga. Photo / Photosport.
Whether or not the Kiwis were chasing redemption against Tonga on Sunday night, they certainly achieved it.
A year ago, the Kiwis were digesting one of the most chastening defeats in their history, as they were edged 25-24 by Tonga at Go Media Stadium. That result – off the back of a loss to Australia in Christchurch a week earlier – meant the Kiwis were consigned to a second-tier promotion-relegation match against Papua New Guinea, while their rivals slugged it out in the Pacific Championships final.
It was a difficult time for coach Stacey Jones in his first campaign, while his squad were also stung. Sunday couldn’t have been more different, as the Kiwis celebrated a comprehensive 40-14 win at Eden Park, to book a place in the decider next weekend in Sydney.
“We learned lessons from last year and it was a year ago [on Saturday], that performance,” said Jones.
The biggest focus was early momentum and not allowing Tonga to get away, and they succeeded, dominating possession and territory across the first 20 minutes before the points flowed in the second quarter.
“That’s where we wanted to get it right, get our start right to set up for the rest of the game,” said Jones. “The boys in the middle did a really good job for the first 25, 30 minutes to lay the platform.”
The starting pack tore into their opposites, while the Kiwis’ defence was unforgiving and relentless, before the attack clicked in the 22 minutes ahead of halftime with four impressive tries. The performance was even more impressive given the injury upheavals. They lost Jeremy Marshall-King (thumb) and Ronalo Mulitalo (knee) after the Samoa match, then Sebastian Kris (calf) was ruled out on Friday.
That meant a reshuffle, which saw electric fullback Keano Kini come into the picture. The Gold Coast custodian made the most of his opportunity, busy around the park and a constant threat on attack.
“He was class,” said Jones. “He did that for us last year, too. He gets plenty of reps at training too so it wasn’t like it was foreign to him, just because of the limited numbers we have within our squad.”
But there were numerous standouts, especially in the forwards, while five-eighth Dylan Brown continued his strong form in this series.
“He’s a real threat, you know, and off the ball stuff he does,” said Jones. “He loves to play footy but he turns up at the right place.”
The performance sets the Kiwis up for a huge match with Samoa, where both teams could find a new peak, though the New Zealand team will be without four front-line players. Both Jones and captain James Fisher-Harris lauded the special occasion that was Sunday, with the predominantly Tongan crowd of 38,114 in full voice throughout.
“We want big crowds, to be honest, in an international game,” said Fisher-Hariris. “It’s getting better and better and we love it.”
Jones even suggested that the past three weeks – with booming attendances - could be a turning point for the international side of the sport.
“Absolutely [it could be],” said Jones. “[With] the passion out there from the fans. We talk about the Tongan fans, but there was plenty of New Zealand fans out there too. So it was just a great atmosphere and people getting behind the international game.”
Jones and Fisher-Harris repeated calls for more space for international football.
“A mid-year test would be perfect to split the year up because it’s a long NRL season as it is,” said Fisher-Harris.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.