Tonga, and New Zealand, goes mad for World Cup superstars
Sell-out crowd of 30,000 expected in Auckland for semi-final against England
ENGLAND will have a royal opponent tomorrow as the king of Tonga will be cheering on the Mate Ma’a.
King Tupou VI will arrive in Auckland tonight and will head to Mount Smart Stadium where Kristian Woolf’s men go for glory.
Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva is also expected to be part of a partisan crowd after every Tongan or person of Tongan descent in New Zealand backs their men.
Such is the euphoria, the president of the Tongan Rugby League, Semisi Sika, issued a public plea for people to give the players some peace
before the game.
That includes family and friends, who were urged not to contact the stars!
He also warned of unsolicited people looking to cash in on their popularity with ‘fundraisers’ for players’ expenses.
Mr Sika, who is also Tonga’s tourism minister, said: “We discourage holding any more fundraisers on behalf of Mate Ma’a Tonga.
“Contributions from businesses in Tonga and the government had been sufficient to provide the players’ weekly income.
“Our players understand our financial limitations as a country and do not expect any more money.
“To date, all necessary expenses for the team’s travel, accommodation, training and games are sufficiently funded.”
Super League stars Sika Manu and Ben Murdoch-Masila will line up for Tonga against some familiar foes.
In Murdoch-Masila’s case, the Warrington new boy will be up against future team-mates in Chris Hill, Kevin Brown and Ben Currie.
The former Salford back-rower’s displays have attracted interest from NRL clubs but agent Mario Tartak claims he is happy where he is.
He said: “There have been a lot of enquiries from NRL clubs about him, but he is currently signed with Warrington.
“He loves it over there and he has signed a really good deal. If something astronomical comes up, then we would think about it.”
