Tongans braced for Rugby League World Cup semi-final against England

Midweek in downtown Otahuhu - also known hereabouts as Nuku'alofa - there's hardly a Tongan flag to be found.

On Saturday night, Great South Rd will be awash with red and white, as it has been each weekend over the past month.

Tonga's unexpected winning run through the Rugby League World Cup has seen them reach a semi-final showdown against England at nearby Mt Smart Stadium, a virtual home game for the tiny south Pacific nation.

But the sudden overwhelming popularity of Tongan flags means there are precious few left for purchase among this suburb's two-dollar shops - and those remaining have mysteriously soared in price.

Tongan community leader Frank Koloi claims some locals have even ventured far north - beyond the Harbour Bridge - in search of a place where supply exceeds demand.

That may be more difficult now that the Mate Ma'a carry the hopes of two countries, with disgruntled Kiwis supporters jumping on the bandwagon, after the early exit of their team.

Clearly, this minor sporting revolution has captured the imagination of more than just the 46,000 Tongans residing in Auckland, the 60,000 throughout New Zealand or the 100,000 back home, scattered among the kingdom's 170 islands.

Frank Koloi
Tonga community leader Frank Koloi. Photo credit: Newshub

Through the TongaNow Facebook page, Polynesians all around the planet have shown their support, posting photos of flags from such far-flung spots as the Swiss Alps, the Hollywood sign, London's Buckingham Palace, the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Louvre in Paris and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

There's no shortage in those places, at least.

Mr Koloi has witnessed this phenomenon first-hand in his role with Akiheuho, a social service provider that fosters sporting pathways for New Zealand-based Tongans and works with at-risk families locally.

"Like most Tongans, if not all Tongans around the world, it just makes us extremely proud," he says.

"It's not so much proud of what has happened on the field - it's the pride in knowing who else out there is Tongan.

"A lot of us are isolated, not only in our location and where we've spread around the globe, but this has brought comfort to us in our belief that our culture is what makes us and helps us succeed in all these foreign lands that we now call home."

When NRL stars Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita chose to represent Tonga instead of New Zealand and Australia at this World Cup, they made a profound statement about the Tongan culture that did not go unnoticed by their brothers and sisters.

That culture is based on a love for God, country and family. Taumalolo recently explained the gold in his front teeth came from his parents' wedding rings, a rite of passage among Tongan children.

"So many people have tried to explain why we're so crazy about our team - we're not crazy about our team, we're crazy about our culture," said Mr Koloi.

"As we see our flag pop up in all sorts of unexpected places, it brings warmth into our hearts with the knowledge that we're doing the right thing as a tiny group of people from a dot in the biggest ocean on earth."

Swiss Alps
Tonga fans at the Swiss Alps. Photo credit: Newshub.

Historically, Kiwis players are paid far more than their Pacific counterparts for international duty. So, when Taumalolo and perhaps a handful of others withdrew from the New Zealand squad for this tournament, they opted for culture over money.

That's something Tongans can really identify with. For many local Tongan boys, rugby league represents a pathway to a better (more lucrative) life for them, their families and their villages, especially if they can catch the eye of NRL scouts.

But, while the Mate Ma'a are jammed with top NRL talent, this team has also taught aspiring stars that money isn't everything all the time.

"They have always looked first-tier, on paper, from the very beginning - a legitimate world-class team," says Mr Koloi. "There was always the fear that they would be great players, but would they gel on field?

"What has gelled them on the field was the one week they spent back in Tonga at the start of their preparation - that was a wonderful idea.

"It has also helped to have a coach who can separate the culture and passion from the technical aspects and strategy. There was a lot of fear that the boys would find the passion overwhelming and wouldn't perform to their potential on the field."

That passion is another trademark of Tongan culture, but it can be a double-edged sword, as local police and community leaders have found during this tournament.

That exuberance spilt over when Tonga and Samoa faced off in Hamilton three weeks ago. Clashes between rival fans marred the build-up to the game, and local MPs and representatives from both teams called for calm.

Police made 29 arrests during post-match celebrations in Otahuhu and 56 more the following week, when Tonga upset the Kiwis.

While media was widely criticised for its "race-baiting" coverage of the scuffles, Tongan elders were just as shocked at the unruly behaviour.            

"We were devastated when those events happened," says Mr Koloi. "They were so negative and so embarrassing and so contradictory to what the rest of the community was celebrating.

"Nobody could really predict how much support the team would have and how passionate it would be, but if we all got together as a community to try and pre-empt and plan for it, it would have gone a lot smoother.

"We saw it at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but we should have been more prepared."

Hopefully, those hard lessons have been well learned.

Police reported no incidents in Christchurch after Tonga's quarter-final victory over Lebanon there, but 11 were arrested in Otahuhu, where a female officer was knocked unconscious from behind.

Just 5km down the road from Mt Smart, this week's celebrations - win or lose - will be next level.

"As part of our planning for this weekend, Police have held meetings with community and cultural leaders, and other partner agencies, as well as reviewing the movements and actions of supporters over the past several weeks," says Counties Manukau East area commander Inspector Wendy Spiller.

"We are expecting a significant amount of people in public, taking part in festivities around the game, and we are confident that we will have an appropriate level of additional staff on duty to manage crowds and congestion, keep people safe and prevent any disorderly behaviour."

The excitement in Otahuhu is palpable.

"It will be a sea of red, there's no doubt about that, but I also expect to see Samoan flags and Fijian flags and New Zealand flags, all carried by Tongans," says Mr Koloi.

"We're proud of all those countries - they're all our homes and every Tongan feels that."

Newshub.