Tongans left soul searching after heavy defeat to Kiwis in Pacific Championships

Tonga have been left soul-searching after a crushing 40-14 defeat to the Kiwis at Eden Park on Sunday.

The loss has exposed deep cracks in their Pacific Championships campaign and raised fresh concern for injured forward Eliesa Katoa.

Captain Addin Fonua-Blake says his team needs to reflect deeply after such a disappointing loss.

Coach Kristian Woolf agreed, admitting their side didn't meet expectations in this match.

From the opening whistle, New Zealand was in control, scoring four unanswered tries from Keano Kini, Dylan Brown, Casey McLean, and Matthew Timoko.

Even when New Zealand player Erin Clark was sent off just before halftime, the Kiwis didn't ease off and scored three more tries in the second half to secure their place in next Sunday's final against Toa Sāmoa.

Tonga finally managed to score through interchange Demetric Vaimauga and winger Daniel Tupou in the 75th minute, but mistakes and a lack of teamwork proved their downfall.

“For whatever reason we just haven't quite been at our best this campaign, we've been a little bit off with and without the ball and it's a bit disappointing. We’ve got to figure out why,” Woolf told a post-match conference.

Given the significance of faith in Tongan culture, Addin Fonua-Blake dismissed suggestions that Sunday fixtures were to blame for the 26-point deficit.

Tongan fans and supporters cheer their team on. Photo/Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

“No, I can't use that excuse. All these boys play in the NRL, and they play on Sunday as well, so I just think both our games, and being on Sundays, don't have anything to do with it. We just got beaten to the punch in both games.

"We're going to have to do a lot of soul-searching, I guess, in the next 12 months and have a lot of honest conversations with each other because there's no one else that can fix the result other than the people that's in the squad.”

The match marked the end of Tonga’s Pacific Championships campaign, and the situation was made worse by the injury to second-rower Eliesa Katoa. During the game, he took several hits and needed medical checks after showing signs of dizziness after the collisions.

Coach Woolf says the medical team followed all the necessary safety protocols around head injuries. He insists that everything was handled properly, adding that it was just an unlucky situation.

Both teams face off for the Sipi Tau and Haka. Photo/Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

“The Doctor’s done the usual HIA, we’ve got two very experienced doctors there, they’ve done their usual HIA, he passed all that… so I don’t think there's anything to worry about there in terms of the process.”

Woolf says, “everything’s been done by the book there, and as I said, we’ve got two experienced doctors, so I don't think anything's gone wrong there in terms of the process. It's just an unfortunate situation.”

Despite the loss, Woolf praised the passionate Tongan fans who packed out Eden Park.

“I'd just like to say thank you to our fans, to have 38,000 people there tonight, the majority Tongan. I know there was a bit of conjecture about Sunday games, but they turned out to support us, and they've done an unreal job.

"We apologise that we were a bit disappointing with our performance. They deserve better, but they'll get better in the future. As I said, it's outstanding to have so many fans there like they did and support us like they did, it’s a great occasion,” Woolf says.

The Kiwis will play against Toa Sāmoa in the Pacific Championships final at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, with kick-off at 6.05pm (NZT).

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea has claimed the Pacific Bowl after a commanding 50-18 win over the Fiji Bati on Saturday. For more information on fixtures and results, click here.