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Scotland 0 l. Tonga 48

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Location: International > Nations > First Grade Competition: World Cup

Tonga v Scotland - The Rocky Experience
Sun November 9, 2008
Browne Park, the traditional home of Rockhampton Rugby League held its first ever international Rugby League test match on Saturday, an historic event for a Rugby League mad town. The much fancied Tongan Mate Ma'a was up against a Scottish team coming off a big upset over Fiji a few days before.

To have a match of that standard was a chance for the Rockhampton people to experience an event that has not been seen before, an event that rewards the city. My own feeling was that it should not be missed by any fan in general, but to see an international spectacle, as I particularly like to watch the smaller nations within our game ply their trade. With little experience of watching professional Rugby Leagues games live it was an occasion to take in for anyone there, especially a World Cup match.

In term of support for each team the attendance was somewhat split for both teams, although any outcome was a positive one with the locals as approximately 5930 turned out to watch a more one sided game. On a hot 32 degree day, the Tongans felt at home with the squad relating with the tropical environment, compared with the Scots who are used to colder temps. The younger fans of the game had a time to remember with several junior teams getting the opportunity to play before the major game in front of a large Browne Park crowd and even being in 'tunnels' for both teams by welcoming them onto the field, something that rarely happens in other international matches. A key moment that is normally enjoyed by most was seeing a Tongan haka, which unlike the Kiwi's actually pumped the Mate Ma'a up.

The match displayed was an attacking feast with speed, athleticism and try's galore shown by a spirited and cohesive Tongan outfit. My own feeling was that a closer game would have made for a stronger reaction, but this wasn't to be with Tonga running riot.

Where was the true Scottish 'Brave heart' attitude to their team previously shown? They lacked the heart and work ethic coming up against a larger team, which showed after being thumped 48 - 0 in a very lacklustre feeling coming from them. The strength and fight from Tonga was entertaining in itself as they proved what a experienced and motivated team can do with a quality performance against a team missing their captain Danny Brough.

Seeing the game live, the difference was the strength of the big Tongan forwards as they never looked like giving way, through tough hit-ups that seemed to put many of the Scottish players into a bind with mediocre performances compared to their higher potentials. We experienced how high quality skill is really shown with the backline of Tonga possessing attacking flair, throughout a majority of the match.

Key experiences of this moment were the quality shown by clearly talented NRL players, such as Feleti Mateo who created a lot of the destruction that increased the crowd's cheers. Scotland's poor performance compared with their good win on Wednesday somewhat lightened the mood, but displays of speed shown from Jennings and the giant Cooper Vuna, more than made up for the crowd. Overall, Tonga looked pumped to make up for their loss of missing out on a chance to make the Semi Finals, which scared of Scots from start to finish. The Scotland outfit at times looked to score, but Tonga's defence was just too good. A highlight from all was seeing Tony Williams put one of the hits of the overall World Cup on Iain Morrison and seeing Manly Grand Final hero Michael Robertson never give up, sparking most of Scotland's opportunities.

The organisation shown by the RLWC committee was quality, while the event management could have been a lot better with more staff required. The feeling of many supporters was of good satisfaction just too even get to watch a game of this quality. The ground staff did an excellent job at preparing the field as it looked as good as ever. The crowd was almost at the 6000 attendance mark, which was one of the highest recorded at the ground that was a great turnout with the supporters being beyond the expected 5500 and way out numbering Queensland Cup matches shown, but falling short of the record from a Broncos v Cowboys trial.

The international flavour of Rugby League gives fans a break from the continual rumours and mistreatment of the game from some certain journalists in Sydney, what's her name again? My own experience is that I tend to be a bigger fan of internationals and smaller Rugby League nations than the more publicised NRL stage, so this game was a positive event. These games only help improve the fan base and development of international teams, so more can be done to help teams such as Italy and build a stronger sport, proven through teams in this World Cup (e.g. Tonga, Ireland and PNG).

Just getting a match of this standard, as a local makes you feel that we have been lucky to get this opportunity to showcase a World Cup match in a regional environment within the greatest game of all. This game has proven critics wrong of having a World Cup game at a smaller city and will be an event within its history, although only time will tell there will be more to come from a positive event.

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