By Brian Lowe

As the Rugby League World Cup gets set to move into the serious stuff with the quarterfinals this weekend, the tournament is still coming to terms with Tonga's 28-22 win over New Zealand in the last round of the pool stages— the RLWC's biggest upset in years.

Tonga Explosive

The much-hyped Tonga versus New Zealand match lived up to all expectations and then some in Hamilton on Saturday.

Tongan fans vastly outnumbered their New Zealand counterparts at a sold-out Waikato Stadium, and before the game had even started, the intensity level was off the charts. The Kiwi haka set the tone as the New Zealand players advanced right up to and literally in the faces of Mate Ma’a Tonga.

And as was the case a week earlier against Samoa, the Tongans delivered just as passionate a war dance themselves as they attempted to intimidate the opposition.

There was plenty of emotion in the match, as superstars Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita were out to prove that their choice to play for Tonga instead of New Zealand and Australia, respectively, were worth the brouhaha they had caused before the tournament got underway.

The Tongans started like a freight train and were soon in front 2-0, but the Kiwis, who were just as determined to prove they had the goods, weathered the storm and fought back to take a 16-2 lead into halftime.

When play resumed in the second period, it was clear Tonga was not going to be denied, and at the end of the 40 minutes it had outscored the hosts 26-6 to post an emphatic 28-22 victory on the back of three tries by David Fusitu’a.

It was the first time that Tonga had beaten New Zealand. It was also the first time a Tier 2 nation has beaten a Tier 1 country at a World Cup.

Tonga won Pool B with the result and advances to the quarterfinals, where it will meet surprise qualifiers Lebanon in Christchurch. It also means New Zealand will face Pool D winners Fiji in Wellington.

Lebanon Ekes Through

Against the odds, Lebanon is into the money rounds even though it won just one game in Pool A, that being against a hapless France in the opening round. Needless to say, though, the Lebanese will be at very long odds to beat a red-hot Tongan side.

The Lebanese were shut out 34-0 by favorites Australia in Sydney on Saturday, a result that not unexpectedly sealed the top spot in the pool for the Kangaroos, who will play a very fortunate Samoa team in Darwin in the quarterfinals.

A Tie Is Good Enough

Toa Samoa managed to secure a berth in the knockout stages despite not winning a game along the way, a scenario that has many scratching their heads in astonishment. They tied 14-14 with a very game Scotland in Cairns in tropical north Queensland in the last of the Pool B matches.

Fiji stitched up its quarterfinal spot with a 38-10 victory over Italy in what was at times a spiteful Pool D encounter in the Australian capital of Canberra. Three yellow cards were handed out, including two to Fiji’s Jarryd Hayne and the Azzuri's Joe Tramontana, who were caught up in a melee.

It started when Tramontana landed a kidney punch on a ball carrier in a tackle. Hayne took exception to it, ran over to the spot, and made his objections clear, which sparked the fracas. Tramontana said later he’d been trying to punch the ball out of the hands of a Bati player but missed.

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Brilliant PNG

The final elimination match of the opening round of the playoffs pits Pool C winners Papua New Guinea against Pool A runners-up England in Melbourne, Australia.

PNG were just too fast, too polished, and way too good for an overmatched USA Hawks to finish their home stand in Port Moresby with a huge 64-0 win. A hat trick by winger Justin Olam led the Kumuls to their biggest-ever winning margin at a World Cup. It was also the Americans’ heaviest loss of the tournament.

England finally hit some form in its last pool match, beating France 36-6 in Perth, Australia. The English's big guns fired, including wing Jermaine McGillvary, who bagged a pair of tries after being cleared during the week of a biting allegation.

Apart from Samoa qualifying even though it didn’t win a game, the other RLWC conundrum that’s arguably even harder to comprehend is how Ireland missed out on the quarterfinals despite chalking up two victories in its pool matches.

The Wolfhounds lit up their Celtic rivals Wales 34-6 in the early game in Perth and were quite entertaining in doing so. They showed more commitment, enthusiasm, and quickness around the field than the Welsh.

And after the game, rather than lamenting the fickle pool structure that blocked his team's progression to the knockout stages, Irish captain Liam Finn was critical of some of Wales’ more experienced players, as well as their English Super League clubs, for opting not to compete at the World Cup, saying they did their country no favors.

World Cup organizers have indicated a review of the system is likely to be undertaken before RLWC 2021.

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