Australia demolished a spirited Tonga outfit 34-16 in front of a sell-out crowd at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
Tongan fans came in droves creating a sea of red and white flags. As a sign of pride and respect between the two nations, the whole crowd sang the Australian anthem as well as the Tongan throughout the match.
The first try came off a Tongan error in the first five minutes of the game with halfback Daly Cherry Evans picking up the ball, scampering unscathed and scoring under the posts. The Sea Eagles players were firing off all cylinders as Tom Trbovejic scored five minutes later after some slick back-line movement.
Tonga fought back with a try as Broncos rookie Tevita Pangai Jnr ran through a gaping hole that allowed him to score.
The match was entertaining from the get-go as the Cronulla Sharks prolific try-scorer Valentine Holmes joined in on the fun and made his way to the score sheet. Captain Boyd Cordner said post-match that the more games we have together, the more games we will connect as a team. It was a big improvement from their game against New Zealand.
Three minutes after Holmes scored, Tom Trbojevic scored a double making the score 24-6 with seven minutes to go until half-time. Returning from injury, Tonga got the last points with Daniel Tupou reducing the deficit to 14.
It was a horror start for the Tongans as in first 30 seconds of the second half, Holmes scored a double cementing the victory for the Australians.
The Tongans didn’t give up as the passion of the team and the fans managed to get Solomone Kata a try to his name after he showed amazing athleticism to score in the corner with very little room.
To put the icing on the cake for the Australians, James Tedesco scored to solidify the victory and he earnt a man of the match award for his efforts throughout the game.
He is a big favourite to take out the prestigious Golden Boot award.
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By Jesse Mullens
