The Kiwis have a shot at another Pacific Championships title, after a demolition of Tonga on Sunday.
It was a magnificent occasion but a one sided game, as New Zealand scored seven tries to two to win 40-14.
After missing out on the decider last season, Stacey Jones’ men have made amends in 2025 and will face Samoa in Sydney in next Sunday’s final.
Sunday was a brilliant spectacle – with the noise, atmosphere and colour from more than 38,000 fans at Eden Park – but not the contest many had hoped for.
There were echoes of the Samoa clash at the same venue two years ago. A massive crowd was supporting the Island team, but they had little to cheer about.
The Kiwis broke the game open at the back end of the first half, with four tries in 18 minutes, though the difference was their relentless defence.
Nothing went right for Tonga – but New Zealand were ruthless – feasting on their errors and bullying their much vaunted pack.
The halftime stats told the story, as the Kiwis had more than double the amount of metres, runs and tackle breaks, as well as six line breaks to none.
Fullback Keano Kini was superb, with a livewire performance, while Dylan Brown again had the ball on a string and grabbed a brace.
But the difference was up front, where the Kiwis were too strong.
It was hard to single out individuals though Naufahu Whyte was a brute off the bench.
The Kiwis were forced into a late change, with wing Sebastian Kris ruled out with injury.
That saw Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad move to centre, Casey McLean to wing and Kini into fullback.
As always, the Sipi Tau was electric – with ear-splitting noise – but the Tongan fans were generous enough to cheer the haka as well.
As expected, the opening minutes were epic, with some massive collisions.
Addin Fonua-Blake smashed into Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris, before Jason Taumalolo sent Joseph Tapine reeling backwards. But the Kiwis were soon on top.
They couldn’t make it count initially but it felt like only a matter of time.
After being denied by what looked like a harsh forward pass ruling – when Kini put Kieran Foran in the clear – the Kiwis were away minutes later.
It was a spectacular 85 metre try, as Kini finished off a long range break from Casey McLean down the left touchline, after the fullback spotted the opportunity on a short blindside.
Tonga couldn’t get anything going and their issues were compounded when Brown strolled through some weak defence near the posts.
The five-eighth had a big hand in the third try – finding McLean with a perfectly placed chip – though the Penrith tyro managed another accomplished finish.
Nothing was going right for Tonga – who had no ball or territory – and their fate was seemingly sealed with Matt Timoko’s 36th minute try, after Briton Nikora found space on the right edge.
With the Kiwis down to 12 men, after Erin Clark was sinbinned on halftime, Warrior’s youngster Demetric Vaimauga got across for Tonga’s first try in the 48th minute but their day was summed up when they allowed the resultant kick-off to go dead.
That led to a try for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad – set up by Brown – before the No 6 chased a kick to get his second.
Play was overshadowed for a period, as a medicab was urgently summoned for Tongan forward Eli Katoa, sitting on the sideline.
He had suffered a head knock in the warm-up then had another HIA in the first half, before slumping back in his chair after being replaced in the second half.
Phoenix Crossland grabbed another try for the Kiwis, before Daniel Tupou dived over for a well-received consolation score in the final minutes.
Kiwis 40 (Keano Kini, Dylan Brown 2, Casey McLean, Matt Timoko, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Phoenix Crossland tries; Jamayne Isaako 5 cons, pen)
Tonga XIII 14 (Demetric Vaimauga, Daniel Tupou tries; Isaiya Katoa 2 cons, pen)
Halftime: 24-2
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.