Rugby league has turned controversy into a refined art.
There’s always something. Be it a player partying a little too hard and getting caught taking drugs/inappropriately touching a female or family pet without the consent of either/strolling nude through a hotel room/engaging a group sex/sending lewd texts, or players on the take, or Jarryd Hayne’s attempts to ensure he can’t stay out of the media for two minutes, or “let’s verbally bash the referee” day, or “let’s rag on the ‘gimmick’ of a World Cup”, a rugby league headline is invariably more focussed on stirring the pot rather than revelling in the actual match that took place.
But all of that, all of the negative headlines, were put aside one Saturday afternoon in Hamilton. For two hours, two glorious hours in Hamilton, rugby league recorded its finest moment. Finally, after 120 years, the sport had everything fall into place for the good, and those who were there or saw it on TV will never forget it.
A full house of 25,000 greeted New Zealand and the Tongans. 25,000 for a rugby league game in New Zealand?
Scratch that. 25,000 for a rugby league game in Hamilton? National Highway 1 from Otara to Hamilton would have resembled more a mass evacuation you see in disaster films. Unreal.
A haunting rendition of the New Zealand and Tongan anthems preceded a bone-chilling and raw trading of national war cries. Honestly, Adam Blair gripped that spear in such a manner you were urging him to launch it somewhere, anywhere. Heck, hurl it at me! Jason Taumolono responded in kind. It was raw, emotional and unrepeatable.
The match itself? Incredible. New Zealand skipping off to a 14 point half-time lead, questioning whether the pundits and fans got it wrong. Did everyone overrate Tonga simply because of the great defectors? Proof that the second tier were still miles behind the top tier.
Got it wrong? Bollocks! An inspired Tongan comeback, try and after try got them to a 22-16 lead and pandemonium among the Tongan fan-base with scenes seen only in a Pentecostal church – hymns and prayers included.
(NRL Photos/Shane Wenzlick)
NZ launched a mini-comeback to tighten up before one last push by Tonga put the game beyond reach and set off the trigger for the cataclysmic change to rugby league. An upset of unquantifiable magnitudes. Celebrations everywhere. Everywhere. Tonga, South Auckland, Hamilton, Sydney, Brisbane, everywhere.
Other sports have had this moment. Japan knocking off South Africa in rugby union was massive, Ireland toppling England in the cricket, the Netherlands toppling the English in the cricket (gotta love it) were big deals, but victories to those countries didn’t give them a leg up to the semi-finals.
It will for Tonga. It’s probably given them a chance of getting to the grand final.
For two hours on Saturday, we saw peak rugby league. Finally, we saw what the game could be if all the planets aligned, and the perfect snowflakes fell from the sky, and the cherry blossoms were flawless. We saw it, and we won’t forget it. We saw why the game, in fact, any sport, needs a World Cup, no matter how small it is.
Finally, we saw what Roy Masters, Phil Gould and Ray Warren have spent the best part of their lives trying to convince us exists – we saw the great and glorious game of rugby league.
We’ve never seen better, and we never will.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
I agree re: tackling. There are rules which the lawmakers & refs are just not abiding by. they teach this stuff as kids & as they get older it all goes out the window There is no excuse for tackles above the waste but it happens just about every tackle. They seriously need to bring that back into line or have no more than 2 in a tackle?
Sava
Guest
Cathar. You make some good points re AFL, ,and it is a turn off to watch players elbowing ,pushing as they do in AFL. I dont think it is a necessary part of that game and the game would be the better if that type of play was banned. I played League in a time(40s-50s) that rules were one tackler around the legs and if another tackler came in,penalty free kick.(reffered to as a Double Tackle)The game has progressed or what I would say degressed to sometimes 4 mostly three tacklers above the waist around the neck ,head,those kind of acts should be left to Cage Fighters.The Rugby league game that I played and enjoyed as a sport has long gone. Sava
republican
Guest
......NZ will win the WC I believe and especially if its v Australia who are looking typically complacent and uninspiring so far in the tournament...........
You'll find that there a LOT of PI families that moved here this or last generation. So answer me this: I'm Australian born-and-raised. However, I'm first generation Australian; my family is German. I now live in NZ. I am a permanent resident, and will be a citizen within a year. So tell me, am I any less 'eligible' for one country over another? As I see it, once a citizen, I would be eligible to represent NZ, Australia or Germany. Indeed, I will have both an Aussie and Kiwi passport, and the only reason I don't have a German one is because my mother was naturalised as an Aussie before I was born. Would it be a farce if I CHOSE to represent any of these countries? I AM Australian. From next year, I WILL BE a Kiwi. And as a first generation Aussie, no one can doubt my claim to my German heritage, which is immediate. So you can see, it's all a little more complex than you might suppose. But don't for a moment think it's a farce. These people are just as proud of being Tongan as Kiwi. Farrah is just as proud of being Lebanese as Aussie. Yes, eligibility rules need to be tightened. I feel that at the start of a calendar year a player should have to nominate which country they intend to be eligible for that year. Doing so within a few weeks of a major tournament like the World Cup is unfair and not right. So yes, tighten up the rules. BUT these guys are ALL eligible to play for the countries they're playing for, and I'm sure if you asked them, they have ownership pride over wearing that jersey, just as they would if they wore an Aussie or Kiwi one.
Cathar Treize
Guest
Funny, a major private health fund states AFL at junior level per 1,000 kids has more injuries than rugby league. I think even basketball had more but AFL topped the list. I know I wouldn't want my kid hit from behind like a lot of AFL players experience. I'd rather them be taught proper techniques to take & be tackled. You got teach against being hit from behind.
MAX
Guest
Like a good movie, I did not want it to end. My mind is still in replay. The standard of handling was a pleasure to witness.
Stu
Guest
This isnt an issue for rugby league in Auckland. You either play in open or restricted grades...
Fox Lvy
Guest
born in NZ from Togan parents.you guy can leave your parents and evrything when you want to, but PI players never and thats the difference you need to nail right in front your big head..
In brief
Guest
Hopefully he is proud, who knows? But heritage players for island teams make more sense than Aussie Irish and Aussie Italian teams which are a not based on cultural affinity.
Fred
Guest
So what's your solution Jacko?
Greg Ambrose
Guest
Watching the Tongan crowd was a big part of the enjoyment of this game. They achieved something that I've never seen from an Australian crowd anywhere ever ( in my memory ) in that they looked unbelievable and classy with all the red and the flags or posters. It was a real unified mob and they looked so unified. It may be a bit trivial but our crowds often look really silly with blow up Kangaroos and silly hats. I can remember seeing the Dutch in all their Orange at football games looking great. Something we could work on I reckon. It was a great game and seeing what it meant to the Tongans was really something. I'm a huge fan of Marty Tapau and unfortunately a loose offload from him was a turning point in the game I reckon. His offloads are top rate so not so much a criticism but an observation. A late try set up by Hurrell bringing the winger back inside looked great but it was really poor defence for three defenders to follow him across field and not drop off to cover the obvious pathway of the try scorer.
Terry Tavita
Guest
so why do you insult tongan players for not living in tonga?
Jacko
Guest
Terry they HAVE to live in Japan to qualify for Japan. They have these rules you see. Your arguement about my arguement makes no sense
Jacko
Guest
Fred thats all good but how many mums let their 10 yo who is 25kg play league against 75kg PI decendants...Wrapping in cotton wool is a bit different to stoping a boys v men (size wise) tackle situation
Terry Tavita
Guest
so?..obviously he's extremely proud of his tongan heritage..you know, people can be born and raised in one country and still be proud of their heritage/ culture/ancestry..but obviously you're not sophisticated enough to understand that..
Jacko
Guest
Spot on Cedric....That is Leagues biggest issue...refs are incompetent and they never get questioned. I was very angry by the 60min mark at the reffing
Terry Tavita
Guest
they work in japan and earn a good living..what are the pro rugby league players going to do in tonga for 3 years?..your arguments make no sense..
Jacko
Guest
Spruce it is EASY to see where they are born....Just GOOGLE it.....EG: Jason Taumalolo was Born in NZ and raised in NZ then at 14 he shifted to Townsville after the NQ Cowboys spotted him and signed him.....He has never left townsville to live anywhere else since then
Jacko
Guest
Fred the guys playing for Japan have to LIVE in Japan for 3 years to qualify.......How many of the Tongan team have lived in Tonga at all?
Fox Lvy
Guest
from the way you/they talk and words you use to insult these players!