Transcript
From the roar of the Sipi Tau before kick-off it was clear this was no ordinary game of rugby league.
Mount Smart Stadium was chock-a-block with more than 26,000 fans in attendance for the first ever clash between the world champion Kangaroos and Mate Ma'a Tonga.
And with Australian supporters hard to pick out among the sea of red, Tongan supporters even gave their opponents a helping hand singing the anthem.
On the field the Kangaroos were deserving winners, scoring five first half tries to set up a comfortable victory, as the Kingdom was made to pay for a series of defensive errors.
Tonga coach Kristian Woolf was encouraged by the improvement shown in the second half and says the team has proven over the past 12 months it can compete with the tier one nations, Australia, New Zealand and England.
"We've played three, we've won one, we've lost one by two points and while at times tonight Australia were really dominant we were really dominant in other periods as well....it was 34-16 and we certainly had plenty of opportunities in that second half to make that scoreline a little closer. I don't think that's a terrible result at all - it shows that we're very competitive."
Kristian Woolf says after years of living game-by-game the future for Mate Ma'a Tonga looks bright.
"New Zealand's the next step and the conversations that we had today were all around other opportunities against possible travelling British Lions and Australia again and obviously Samoa - a lot more tests I guess and a lot more big opportunities and ones against tier one nations. That's what we want and that's how we're going to get better and that's how we become a real force in the international scene."
Australian coach Mal Meninga was a key figure in ensuring the match against Tonga went ahead and says the Kangaroos have an obligation to promote the international game.
"Keep on pushing rugby league in the Pacific Rim area, definitely. Samoan people are just as passionate. Fijian people are just as passionate. The Papua New Guineans - we've just come back from a bit of a trip up there and they're mad, they're fanatical - and on the back of obvously what happened last week we're kind of hoping that the New Zealand people see how passionate their team are and want to follow them so we've just got to keep on going."
The Kiwis get their chance to avenge their Rugby League World Cup defeat to Tonga in June next year.
Meanwhile officials from Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Cook Islands and New Zealand met with National Rugby League staff last week to discuss plans for a revamped international calendar, including more regular and meaningful test matches.
