The Kangaroos have won the Pacific Cup for the first time after surviving a late scare from a fast-finishing Tongan side to claim a 20-14 victory in Sunday’s final in Sydney.
Up by 16 with 23 minutes to play, Australia looked destined to record a comfortable victory at CommBank Stadium, but instead had to come up with a series of try-saving plays out wide in order to get home, as their opponents ran in a pair of late four-pointers to set up a heart-stopping finish.
The result marks a return to service for the Kangaroos, a year on from a record 30-0 defeat to the Kiwis in the inaugural decider for the end-of-year Test tournament, with their combined moments of brilliance on the ball and gritty goal-line defence the key in the end.
Backed by the majority of a 28,728-strong crowd, and having just a week earlier demolished the Kiwis in the opening exchanges, it came as little surprise that Kristian Woolf’s men raced out to an early lead thanks to a Sione Katoa try.
But when the Kangaroos went up a gear later in the half Tonga simply couldn’t go with them, and by the time they rediscovered their mojo with 25 to go it was too late.
Five-eighth Tom Dearden capped off strong maiden Test campaign with a man-of-match performance that featured a handful of huge plays on both sides of the ball, while out wide Tom Trbojevic had a day out, scoring two tries and having another two disallowed, with six tackle breaks part of his final stat sheet.
Early the middle battle belonged to Tonga and on the back of it Isaiya Katoa – the match-winner against the Kiwis a week earlier – laid on the opener for Sione Katoa, after he earlier forced a knock on from Angus Crichton with a desperate tackle.
But after weathering that early storm Australia took control, scoring the next three tries without reply.
It was the Isaiya Katoa’s wayward kick 10 minutes after his aforementioned try assist that gifted the Kangaroos a seven-tackle set that ended in them hitting back through a flying Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
With the match tied at four-apiece come the quarter mark, Australia flipped the script through a long Mitchell Moses kick and an excellent chase which saw them trap Tonga in goal and earn a repeat set, with Xavier Coates grabbing a brilliant offload from Tabuai-Fidow to go over out wide and double his side’s tally.
A golden chance to draw even just before the break instead ended in Eliesa Katoa fumbling over the line and from there Tonga were forced to endure a barrage of attack from their opponents, although with Trbojevic’s try the only damage on the scoreboard after both he and Hudson Young had other claims ruled out by the Bunker.
Trbojevic had his second early in the second half but was denied a hat-trick minutes later when the Bunker found a knock on in the lead up, and it was that moment which proved a turning point.
Haumole Olakau’atu got on the end of a Tuimoala Lolohea grubber to breathe life back into the Tongan cause, before a determined charge from Eliesa Katoa put the Kingdom back to within six points with as many minutes to play.
But it wasn’t to be, with the Kangaroos holding on to claim the title and go some way to avenging last year’s drubbing at the hands of the Kiwis. Tonga’s cause was also not helped by the loss of centre Paul Alamoti to a dislocated elbow on 45 minutes.