Australia bounced back from a shock defeat seven days earlier to reaffirm their rugby league world champion status with a 34-16 win over Mate Ma'a Tonga at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium.
The Kangaroos, playing without many of the legends that have carried them over the past decade, fell 26-24 to the NZ Kiwis at the same venue last Saturday and appeared vulnerable against a Tonga outfit that had captured the imagination of fans at last year's Rugby League World Cup.
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The plucky Pacific Islanders went into the game with overwhelming fan support that converted the stadium into a sea of red and white. The Tongan side responded to an emtotional national anthem with a powerful performance of the 'Sipi Tau' war challenge.
But once the game began, the Kangaroos quickly seized control with a sixth-minute try to half Daly Cherry-Evans, capitalising on a loose pass just metres out from the Tongan goal-line.
Five minutes later, centre Tom Trbojevic loomed in supporter of fullback James Tedesco and had a clear run to the line for his team's second try and a 12-0 lead.
Tonga needed to score next and do so through second-rower Tevita Pangai Jnr, who ran onto a pass just a few metres out from the try-line and found a yawn gap in the defence.
But the Tongans conceded three more tries before half-time, with both Trbojevic and Valentine Holmes completing try-scoring doubles in the opening 40 minutes.
Tonga's cause was not helped when they lost half Ata Hingano to a shoulder injury, forcing them to play hooker Siliva Havili out of position for the remainder of the contest.
Wing Daniel Tupou pulled back a try for Tonga, but Holmes' second right on half-time sent Australian into the break 30-10 ahead.
After the break, the Tongan dominated possession and territory, but just could not breach the defence consistently. At one point, they forced four consecutive goal-line dropouts and were eventually rewarded with a try to centre Solomone Kata on his Warriors home ground.
But with half an hour remaining, Tonga could not cross again and would eventually concede a try to Tedesco - the final scoring action of the game.
The Aussies had defended bravely, but their rivals had won the second half 6-4 - a moral victory of sorts.
"We wanted this game just as much as Tonga," said Australian captain Boyd Cordner afterwards. "It's all about growing the game and look at this - you couldn't ask for anything better.
"For us, it's a newlook team and it's taken us a while to gel. That showed a fair bit tonight, but as time goes on, we'll get better as a group.
"We just need some more time and some more games."
Tongan skipper Sika Manu was one of those moved to tears during pre-game formalities.
"It was an awesome experience, especially with a crowd like this and top-class opponents," he said. "It was a huge honour to be part of it."
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