Terrific Tonga deliver knockout blow to Kiwis

A clutch field goal from Isaiya Katoa with four minutes on the clock secured Tonga a dramatic 25-24 victory over the Kiwis, which sees them advance to the Pacific Cup final against the Kangaroos and resigns the defending champions to a do-or-die relegation scrap.

Having utterly dominated the opening 34 minutes to lead 24-0 on the back of completing all 17 of their opening sets, Tonga then fell away in spectacular fashion to leak 24 unanswered points and allow the Kiwis to tie the game with 12 to go. 

But at that point Katoa emerged, with the 20-year-old Dolphins playmaker calmly slotting the one-pointer which put his side back in front, this time for good. 

The visitors still had to survive a late Jamayne Isaako penalty shot, which missed to the left, and two field goal attempts – one charged down and the other wide of the posts – to confirm a famous victory, which snapped a five-game losing streak and propelled the Kingdom to the tournament decider. 

New Zealand meanwhile, 12 months on from hammering the Kangaroos 30-0 to win the inaugural Pacific Championships title, will now have to play the Bowl competition's top side – likely to be either Papua New Guinea or Fiji – for the right to remain in the top section for 2025.

To say the first half was one-sided would be an understatement. Powerhouse forwards Addin Fonua-Blake and Jason Taumalolo laid a commanding platform with 100-metre plus efforts in the first half, with the former among Tonga's four try-scorers in the first stanza.

Sione Katoa opened things before the Kiwis had even touched the ball with an effort in the corner. 

In the face of a Tongan onslaught in the middle, New Zealand were battling just to get out of their own half and resorted to forcing offloads which only made their situation more challenging. 

By the time Fonua-Blake steamrolled through the middle from 15 metres out on 24 minutes the Tongan's were well and truly on top.

Stabbing runs from Siliva Havili and Soni Luke added more points, before Tonga's first error of the game gifted New Zealand possession for an Isaiah Papali'i hit back.  

That set up a run of 24 unanswered points for the Kiwis, who added further tries through Keano Kini and Phoenix Crossland early in the second half. 

Joseph Tapine's solo stunner, in which he put boot to ball on a wayward offload before regathering and darting down the sideline for one of the greatest solo tries you'll see from a front-rower followed, and the Kiwis had ample opportunity to win it from there. 

Instead Katoa stood tall, kicking the go-ahead field goal before Kristian Woolf's men survived a dramatic final few minutes to advance.