The Kiwis defeated Mate Ma’a Tonga 26-6 in front of a sold-out crowd among a sea of red shirts and flags at Mt Smart Stadium
Kiwis captain Jesse Bromwich
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Following up their win over Tonga at the same ground in 2019 – the Kiwis victory was built on the back of a strong first half showing.
Kiwi playmaker Jahrome Hughes set the tone to score inside the first four minutes.
That was followed by a try to veteran winger Jordan Rapana who finished off great lead-up work by Kenny Bromwich and test debutant Dylan Brown.
The Kiwis led 20-6 at the break – adding one more try in the second half.
Captain Jesse Bromwich told SkySport said he was proud of the team effort.
“Just our attitude to our defence – the boys put on a really good game,” he said.
“We had some debutants tonight and I thought all four of them played really well.”
While the boisterous Tongan fans created a party atmosphere it was the home side who excelled on-field.
Tongan coach Jason Taumalolo said the crowd support was brilliant.
“To see the red flags fly again, there’s no better feeling,” Taumalolo said.
“We can only get better from here and it’s just a small build-up for the World Cup at the end of the year.”
Earlier, a world record was broken as the Kiwi Ferns beat the Tongan women 50-12.
The crowd of 18,364 was the biggest ever for a women’s rugby league match.
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