The Jillaroos will meet their NZ rivals in this weekend’s Pacific Cup women’s final in Sydney. Picture: DFAT
The Kangaroos will face an in-form Tonga after the Pacific Islanders pipped the Kiwis 25-24 in their historic Pacific Cup rugby league clash in Auckland on Saturday.
A field goal from Isaiya Katoa with four minutes left secured the win for Tonga and consigned the defending champions to a do-or-die relegation scrap.
According to the official NRL.com.au website, the Tongans dominated the first 34 minutes to lead 24-0.
Then they fell off their game to leak 24 unanswered points and allow the Kiwis to tie the game with 12 to go. At that point Katoa slotted the one-point field goal.
The victory is Tonga’s first over New Zealand in Auckland.
New Zealand, 12 months after hammering the Kangaroos 30-0 to win the inaugural Pacific Championship title, now has to play the Papua New Guinea to remain in the top section for 2025.
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf was proud of his players.
“There were plenty of opportunities there, when things were going against us in the second half, to drop our heads and maybe end up with a different result, but they hung in, they played tough,” he told the website.
“The scenes out there at the moment, you don’t get that anywhere else (other than Auckland). The fans, the way they turn out, the way they support this team, they are so proud of the team and the efforts they put in, and I am just as proud.”
NZ coach Stacey Jones was disappointed.
“Very tough (to take). The first half we were just physically battered, they ran harder, tackled harder and forced us into errors. We just lost focus on jobs at times… gave up a couple of soft tries by doing defensive stuff that’s not part of our principles.”
WOMEN
The Women’s Pacific Cup Final in Parramatta will see a rematch of the 2023 Pacific Cup decider between the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns.
The Ferns joined the Aussies in the decider with a 36-0 defeat of the PNG Orchids in Port Moresby on Sunday.
The Kiwi Ferns controlled the contest from the outset with a try in the opening minute and did not look back.
New Zealand ended up running in seven tries amid stifling conditions in Port Moresby.
The win sets up a date with the Jillaroos in this Sunday’s Pacific Championships Cup final at CommBank Stadium in a rematch of last year’s decider, which NZ won.
