New Zealand down spirited Tonga to reach Rugby League World Cup final - 巅峰国际

• New Zealand 34-10 Tonga

• Kiwis come from behind and will face Australia or Samoa

What had been billed as one of the most intriguing Rugby League World Cup semi-finals in history was, in the end, a brutal exposé of the standards the world’s chasing nations must rise to in order to match Australia and New Zealand.

Few nations have as close a connection to the rise of international rugby league quite like the Kiwis and Tonga. After all, it was Jason Taumalolo’s decision to switch his international allegiance from New Zealand to the Mate Ma’a in 2017 which lit the touchpaper for the rise of nations such as Samoa and Tonga, leading to a plethora of the world’s best players following suit.