Toa Samoa supporters gathered in cities around the world to watch the Rugby League World Cup final against Australia.

And most stayed to celebrate the team’s momentous run to the final and show their pride for the team and the nation.

Toa Samoa scored two tries in the Rugby League World Cup final in Manchester, but were unable to stop a dominant Australian side from winning the title 30-10 for the third time in a row.

• READ MORE: Toa Samoa defeated after courageous battle against favourites in final

In New Zealand’s Ōtara Town Centre in South Auckland hundreds of people gathered waving Samoan flags.

Community leader Jerome Mika said despite the defeat, Samoa had still won.

“I’m feeling so proud of the boys, it’s just awesome to see our nation reach the final of the World Cup. They’ve just put us on the map and I’m really, really proud of them. There’s a lot of pride in the Samoan community here,” he said.

“We’ve won the hearts and minds of our people.”

Mika said Samoa’s success would inspire a future generation of rugby league players.

In Samoa, a large group also spent the morning in Apia Park with events starting around midnight. Many stayed on until the final whistle.

Toa Samoa fans in Ōtara show their support. Video: Fans-Samoa

The Samoa Observer reports that the team was thanked the “usual way” with cars driving along Apia and flying the national flag.

Some fans have sparked outrage after throwing what appeared to be glass bottles and chairs during the Mate Ma’a Tonga–Kiwi clash at Mt Smart Stadium last night, won by New Zealand 26-6.

An eyewitness alleged some Mate Ma’a Tonga fans hurled bottles at the Kiwi supporters.

Tongan broadcaster and journalist Kite Tu’akalau said he was right there when some fans hurled bottles “tolo hina” at others.

• READ MORE: Other Pacific rugby league reports

“Shame on you,” he wrote on Facebook, describing the encounter in Tongan as “embarrassing, ill-disciplined and nonsense”.

A video posted on social media, seen by Kaniva News, showed three men with Tongan flags climbing from the stands towards a corporate box.

Some men attempted to force their way inside the box before another threw a chair at one of the glass windows, causing it to crack.

A person was hospitalised while a police investigation was underway, police reportedly said.

Commenters on Tu’akalau’s posts criticised the incident as “unsportsmanlike conduct” and “low life”.

One said “that’s disgusting” while another said, “Ban him from all League game(s) … What a retard”.

Some said these unacceptable and unprofessional actions brought a bad image to hundreds of thousands of supporters of the Mate Ma’a Tonga team.

Kiwis beat Tonga
However, it failed to mar the colourful international double header match-up in which the Kiwis defeated Mate Ma’a Tonga 26-6 in front of a sellout 26,000 crowd, a sea of red shirts and flags.

Kiwis 26: Hughes, Rapana, Mulitalo, Papali’i tries; Rapana conversion, 4 x penalty.

Tonga 6: Katoa try; Staggs conversion.

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.

Later, at Campbelltown Stadium in New South Wales, the Papau New Guinea Kumuls stunned a star-studded Fiji side to win 24-14.

PNG were $4 outsiders at kick-off and Fiji struck first through Kevin Naiqama but Storm star Justin Olam and Roosters young gun Lachlan Lam took control from there.

Both teams were stacked with NRL stars and the opening 40 minutes proved a free-flowing contest.

In the earlier game in a double header, Samoa thrashed Cook Islands 42-12.

Republished with permission.

Tairāwhiti tā moko artists Maia Gibbs and Henare Brooking designed the jersey the Warriors wore in their Indigenous Round National Rugby League match against Newcastle Knights last Saturday.

The jersey, called Te Amokura, is a powerful expression of connection, unity and identity developed in partnership with Puma and Gisborne’s Toi Ake Maori art gallery.

Maia Gibbs (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungungu) and Henare Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) run the gallery located in Ballance Street Village.

• READ MORE: Other sport reports

It was set up about two years ago following the first covid-19 lockdown.

Gibbs said the jersey needed to “encompass what the club and team represent”.

“We are the paintbrushes and pencils that put it together but the players are the ones that live their lives under a microscope. This is about them and what they want to represent.

“It’s pretty cool to see our tohu holding its own,” he said.

Powerful expression
“I’m humbled to have had the opportunity to work on this project and see it come to life — even more so to do it along side taku tuakana Henare Brooking.

“To have the support of our iwi, hapū and whānau throughout is really special and we thank you all,” he said.

Te Amokura is a powerful expression of the Warriors’ connection, unity and identity. It takes its inspiration from the manu (bird) of the same name, known across the Pacific, Australia and Aotearoa.

The amokura helped the great navigators of the Pacific chart the largest body of water in the world.

It is known for its two distinct red elongated tail feathers which were highly prized by foremost warriors and chiefs throughout Te moana nui a Kiwa.

These are represented by two red strips on the back of the jersey.

The colours represent significant elements of the club’s identity but also the journey over the last three seasons, and the sacrifices made by players and staff to base themselves away from home, their families and their fans.

The collective whakapapa
Blue represents mana moana — the ocean — that connects Aotearoa, Australia and the Pacific, carrying the collective whakapapa.

Green represents mana whenua — the land — Aotearoa acknowledging the Warriors’ true home and importantly Australia’s mana whenua, the Aboriginal whanaunga and the original people of Australia who hosted the team over the last three seasons.

Red represents mana tāngata — the people — connecting players past, present and future, and interweaving the whakapapa of each individual as they move into the field of battle.

The black represents Te Pō — a place of development and learning — while the white is Te Ao — a place of expression and action.

The jersey is like a korowai (cloak) that adorns the wearer, not just as a jersey but as a representation of their own journey.

It is a celebration of the Warriors’ cultural identity and a representation of the connection they share as indigenous people across the world.

This year’s NRL Indigenous Round focused on creating a space for learning and educating Australians about Indigenous culture as well as encouraging the rugby league community to take three key actions to be part of the change — learn the land; learn the history; support an Indigenous business.

Note: Te Amokura is also the Te Reo Māori name of the Pacific Media Centre, which launched this website Asia Pacific Report in 2016. Asia Pacific Report is now published independently in association with Evening Report and Pacific Journalism Review.

Republished with permission by The Gisborne Herald and NZ On Air.

Senior officials from Australia’s Foreign Affairs Department have admitted they are investigating  the concept of a “grand compact” with some small Pacific nations, including Tonga.

The idea has been pushed some Australian politicians, academics and officials for decades.

It is seen in some circles as a way of curbing the growth of Chinese power in the region.

• READ MORE: Australian foreign affairs official confirm they are studying US, NZ compact deals with Pacific nations
• LISTEN: ABC Pacific beat news item

One of the suggestions is that Australia could allow permanent residency or even citizenship for people from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga and Nauru in return for Australia managing their vast – and valuable – exclusive economic zones.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd put forward a similar proposal which was attacked by Tuvalu’s then Prime Minister leader, Enele Sopoaga, as “imperial thinking.”

“The days of that type of imperial thinking are over,” Sopoaga told the ABC.

Both New Zealand and the United States have compacts with some Pacific island states.

No sign of serious consideration
However, the ABC’s Pacific Beat said there was no sign that the Australian government was currently seriously contemplating the idea or has plans to take a proposal to Pacific governments.

North Queensland Toyota Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo is expected to miss this Saturday night’s clash with the Dragons in Townsville.

As Kaniva News reported earlier, the Tongan international was expected to be off for four weeks after tearing a calf muscle during a game against Newcastle last Sunday afternoon.

In June he missed a game with Cronulla at Queensland Country Bank Stadium due to bone bruising on his knee.

The Cowboys are due to take the field against the Dragons at 8.30pm Queensland time.

Tongan High School students will now stay at school until they are 18.

New school leaving age
The Education Act 2013 has been updated to reflect the new school age, which is now 4-18. The new law came into effect on Tuesday.

The Education Department’s Truancy & Reconciliation Division Leader Kalafitoni Latu told Radio Tonga the compulsory leaving age was meant to help all students get a better education.

He said the ministry would push children who are of legal age, to attend school in accordance to the law.

Uhatahi Tu’amoheloa, who manages the grassroots Just Play project in Tonga, has described online mentoring by the English Football association as a blessing.

Two of the FA’s leading coaches, head of Grassroots Delivery, Les Howie and coach mentor officer, Steve Smithies, are providing virtual mentoring to Pacific players in Tonga, Fiji and Samoa.

“This is like a new era for us having the FA running mentoring sessions,” Tu’amoheloa said.

Mainly volunteers
“Our participants at the first session were mainly volunteers from Just Play, but at the second session our national team coaches were also on board,” she said.

Repatriation flights from Fiji and Kiribati arrived in Tonga this week.

Health Minister ʻAmelia Afuhaʻamango Tuʻipulotu told Radio Tonga the repatriation flight from Fiji would be the last.

The flight from Kiribati was chartered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and brought back seven passengers and a body.

Flights from Auckland remain in limbo because of the re-appearance of community transmission of covid-19 in the New Zealand community.

Republished with permission from Kaniva News’ Mediawatch.

Papua New Guinea’s Mendi Butterflies rugby league team has claimed the coveted 2017-2018 Coca Cola Ipatas Cup in Lae, dedicating their victory to their beloved people who have been devastated by last month’s earthquake in Southern Highlands province.

“Election related violence and the recent earthquake disaster in the Southern Highlands province have hampered our preparation and training, but we have worked hard to come this far,” an excited skipper Pore John told NBC News.

Mendi OLCO Butterflies won the Ipatas cup and K50,000 (NZ$22,000) prize money for the third time in 18 years after edging out a spirited Wapenamanda Brothers 20-17 in extra time at the weekend.

“We weren’t expecting to come this far, but the commitment shown by the players has been the force behind the win,” said John.

The Ipatas Cup is the biggest offseason rugby league compettion in Papua New Guinea which has attracted 138 teams in its 2017-2018 season.

Another Southern Highlands team, Mendi Bulldogs, also finished fourth in the competition, collecting a K10,000 prize (NZ$4,200).

On Saturday, the Mendi Rugby League and Mendi Muruks franchise were hosted to a trial match with the Enga Mioks. The gate takings were being split between the two provinces to assist disaster relief efforts.

100 plus deaths
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the Highlands region on February 26 has claimed more than 100 lives and left thousands of people homelessa and their food gardens destroyed.

The Mendi rugby League field at Tente was also damaged by the earthquake.

The Mendi teams worked hard over the past two weeks to prepare for the finals and the achievement was sweet with some of their players being snatched by Digicel Cup teams.

The Ipatas Cup trophy will be brought over to the disaster-devasted township of Mendi today where it will spend a week before returning to Lae.

Sylvester Gawi is a Lae-based journalist for NBC News and blogs independently at Graun Blong Mi- My Land.

• More PNG stories

The president of the Mate Ma’a Tonga Rugby League Association has turned to Tongan tradition in announcing the attendance of King Tupou VI and international Tongan singer Dinah Jane at the Tonga-England semifinal at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium today.

Sēmisi Sika said his committee made the invitation to make sure the national team and Tongan supporters enjoyed the historic event to the full.

READ MORE: England beats Tonga 20-18 in incredible semifinal

In Tongan, Sika said: “We have plucked down the stars, moon and the sun for you so that you can calm down and become satisfied.

“Let’s focus on supporting our MMT in their battle and may we all put together our efforts so we can bring about a great game for the Conqueror of the Nation.”

[“Kuo tau paki’i mai e fetu’u , mahina mo e la’aa ke mou nonga aa mo fiemalie . Tau hanga taha ki hono poupou’i e tau fanau MMT i he feinga tau mo fakatauange ke tau ma’u ha fakame’ite fakaholo mamata ki he Hau o e fonua.”]

The poetic references were meant for the king, the queen and all invitees.

Fifth Harmony singer Dinah Jane will sing the Tongan national anthem before the kick-off of the Rugby League World Cup semifinal match.

Among other invitees were Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva and other local VIPs, Sika said.

Tagata Pasifika
John Pulu of TVNZ’s flagship Pacific current affairs programme Tagata Pasifika has been invited to be master of ceremonies.

The invitation from the Tongan Rugby League committee was also extended by the chairman of the Rugby League World Cup 2017, Dr George Peponis Oam and the Rugby League World Cup CEO Andrew Hill.

No Pacific nation has ever made it to a World Cup final, but Tonga is hoping to become the first.

Tongan winger Konrad Hurrell said: “It was our first quarterfinal last week and this is our first semi-final as well – imagine if we make the final, it would be crazy.

“That would be good but we’ve got to knock out England as well to make the final.”

Australia crushed Fiji 54-6 yesterday in the first semifinal.

Police warning
Meanwhile, Auckland police have warned they will not tolerate disorderly behaviour following this weekend’s rugby league game.

Police will be out in force on the streets tonight in an effort to keep the public safe and prevent any disorderly incidents, Counties Manukau East Area Commander Inspector Wendy Spiller said.

Over the past few weeks, police have dealt with a number of disorderly incidents following Tongan league games on the streets of South Auckland, particularly around the Otahuhu Town Centre.

On two occasions police officers have been attacked while trying to manage and contain the disorder, Inspector Spiller said.

In one incident last weekend in Otahuhu, a female police officer from Counties Manukau was king-hit and knocked unconscious by a male who then disappeared into the crowd.

“Police will not tolerate this violent and cowardly behaviour,” Inspector Spiller said.

“Our hard-working staff come to work every day to keep our communities safe and the last thing they deserve is to be attacked or harmed.”

Inspector Spiller said the injured officer was yet to return to work, but was making a good recovery.

“Someone out there knows who is responsible,” she said.

“We will do everything we can to identify the offender and hold them to account.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Counties Manukau Police on 09 261 1300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Flagpole attack
A second police officer who was struck in the face with a flagpole in a separate disorderly incident several weeks ago has only been able to perform light duties since returning to work.

Police have arrested a male in relation to that incident.

With a large number of people expected to take part in festivities over the weekend, Inspector Spiller said police would have additional staff on duty to monitor crowd behaviour and ensure the safety of the public.

Alcohol would be banned in and around the Otahuhu Town Centre and police would not tolerate violent or reckless behaviour.

“We want people to keep themselves safe,” Inspector Spiller said.

“People acting recklessly and putting themselves and others at harm by riding on vehicles or setting off fireworks in crowded areas will not be tolerated.

“It is important that excited fans do not block streets stopping traffic.”

Asia Pacific Report republishes Kaniva News items by arrangement.

After French rugby union coach Guy Novès selected a Fiji-born Sevens flyer for the national squad, he has now also called up another former Sevens star – the France-born son of a former Australian rugby league international.

Montpellier winger Marvin O’Connor has been named to replace the injured Benjamin Fall.

O’Connor will now link up with the rest of the France squad for their latest Six Nations training camp from January from today until Wednesday.

He has previously represented both France U19s and France Sevens, and is currently the highest try scorer in the French Top 14 national club championship.

O’Connor has been regarded as one of France’s top wings in the past few seasons and many rugby critics have been tipping his call-up for a while.

The wily 24-year-old player, born in Annemasse, France, started his professional career with Grenoble before joining Bayonne and then Montpellier.

Last week, Novès named “unstoppable” Fiji-born Virimi Vakatawa winger from the France Sevens team to the national squad in a surprise move.

Revised France squad for the Six Nations

Forwards: Eddy Ben Arous, Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado (c), Camille Chat, Rabah Slimani, Uini Atonio, Yoann Maestri, Paul Jedrasiak, Sébastian Vahaamahina, Alexandre Flanquart, Wenceslas Lauret, Yacouba Camara, Kevin Gourdon, Louis Picamoles, Antoine Burban, Damien Chouly.

Backs: Sébastian Bézy, Morgan Parra, Maxime Machenaud, Jean-Marc Doussain, Jules Plisson, Alexandre Dumoulin, Wesley Fofana, Gaël Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Rémi Lamerat, Marvin O’Connor, Hugo Bonneval, Maxime Médard, Scott Spedding, Virimi Vakatawa.

Fijian flyer Vakatawa – a rugby gamble France needed to take