An impressive display by Joey Manu led the Kiwis to a 26-6 victory over Tonga in front of an exhausted crowd at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday.
Continuing with the form that has made him a standout for the Roosters in 2022, Manu ran 404 meters and had seven innings breaks while New Zealand made a forceful statement ahead of this year’s World Cup.
The excitement of the pre-game Haka and Sipi Tau had barely subsided when Kiwi player Jahrome Hughes fired a gas shot from 10 yards out and brought three defenders with him for the first try of the match. .
Four minutes later, the Kiwis took a 12-0 lead after veteran winger Jordan Rapana finished a great early job from Kenny Bromwich and Test debutant Dylan Brown.
A mistake by the home side’s central defense after 15 minutes allowed Jesse Bromwich to score for Tonga. Sata Katoa was given a chance to change things around.
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The Kiwis open up and Rapana finishes it off
The Kiwis extended their lead in the 23rd minute when Sitili Tupouniua received a shot and Rapana knocked down the penalty spot to make it 14-6.
Then Rapana deflected and seemed ready to hook his second attempt before Staggs knocked him down with a classic cover tackle, but Christian Tuipulotu stood up and prevented Rapana from getting up and referee Grant Atkins rejected him.
The Kiwis quickly took advantage of a single player advantage when Brown put Ronaldo Mulitalo in the left corner with a long pass.
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Everything opens the scoring for Mate Ma’a Tonga
After a tense fight to start the second half, Hughes scored his class in the game with a perfect kick from 50 yards that stopped the dead ball line.
From the abandonment of the back line, the Kiwis got their fourth attempt when James Fisher-Harris put Isaiah Papali’i up close to put the 26-6 up and so the score was kept.
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Papali’i stretches to score
Snapshot of the match
- Jesse Bromwich played his 30th test for the Kiwis, making him the most experienced player on the New Zealand team.
- Kiwi winger Jordan Rapana scored the seventh try of his 12-test career and ran 204 meters in a good display.
- Tonga winger Christian Tuipulotu was sent off for a foul 29 minutes into the game. Despite the infraction, Manly’s steering wheel had a strong debut in the tests with 163 meters of race.
- Addin Fonua-Blake led from the front in the strong exchanges with 131 meters running through Tonga. He was skillfully supported by Siosiua Taekeiaho (144 meters).
- Tonga’s Talatau Amone had to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines, after twisting his ankle with 67 minutes having been played.
- The match was played in front of an exhausted audience of 26,000 people, the first time since the 1988 World Cup final at Eden Park that kiwis play in front of a capable audience.
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Manu creates something out of nothing
Game play
If Test debutants Dylan Brown and Ronaldo Mulitalo were feeling nervous, they certainly didn’t prove it! At half-time, the creator of the Eels threw a 20-meter “harbor bridge” pass at the wheel of the Sharks that flew through the air to plant the ball in the left corner. At just 22, Brown showed maturity beyond his years with two try assists in the first half, while Mulitalo continues to challenge gravity with his strange ability to finish.
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Mulitalo makes the air route
What they said
“Madge [Michael Maguire] it set us a challenge to be the best international defensive team in the world and we came out and we really got stuck. Tonga is not a small group or a small team, it was very physical out there, but I am very happy. with the effort of our defense. Our players in the column are playing with a lot of confidence in their clubs, they have returned to their clubs being the best NRL players in the competition and we just wanted them to come and do what they do. ” – Kiwi captain Jesse Bromwich
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Kiwis
“We had nine guys debuting tonight, so these are exciting times for Tonga. If we look at the average age of our backs, they were just under 21, so they will learn a lot from this game and this experience. and they will move on, these are exciting times for Tonga at the World Cup and years to come.If I was going to pick two young players I thought of Christian [Tuipulotu] and Tolu [Koula] on the back they were exceptional. They attacked the game all night, they were brave and they went after everything ”. – Tonga coach Dean Young
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Southern Hemisphere
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