Tonga's 20-18 win over Samoa fuels calls for a Tonga‑Samoa World Cup final
Tonga beat Samoa 20-18 in Sydney on Sunday in a Group B-C match at the men's 2026 Rugby League World Cup, a result that has been cited by supporters and commentators as an argument for staging a Tonga‑Samoa final.
The group stage of the tournament produced several one-sided results and, critics say, exposed problems with a convoluted format, but it also delivered unexpected intensity from the Pacific nations. From Group A, Australia and New Zealand progressed as expected and are widely tipped to meet in the final on 15 November. From the merged Group B-C, Tonga won all three of their group matches and will play New Zealand in a semi-final, while Samoa will face Australia in a repeat of the 2022 final.
Former Bradford Bulls head coach Matthew Elliott, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra after the match, asked: "Could this be a dress rehearsal for the final? I hope so," and added, "I shouldn't say that out loud as an Aussie but I hope so."
Tonga have recent notable results against New Zealand: they beat the Kiwis 25-14 in a Pacific Championships match two years ago to reach their first elite tournament final. Last year’s meeting between the sides was overshadowed by a head injury to Tonga back-rower Eli Katoa, who required emergency brain surgery after suffering three separate concussions and has not played since. Tonga were semi-finalists at the 2017 World Cup after winning their group, having beaten New Zealand 28-22 in the group stage, and then narrowly lost to England 20-18 in the last four.
Tonga and Samoa have met 23 times, with each side holding 11 wins and one contest ending in a draw. Samoa were surprise runners-up four years ago, a run that included a 60-6 opening defeat to England, a golden-point 27-26 quarter-final win over the hosts at Emirates Stadium and a 30-10 loss to Australia at Old Trafford; that campaign made Samoa only the sixth different nation to reach a men’s World Cup final after Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, England and France.
The matchday squads contained recognisable talent with nine players involved in the game having taken part in this year’s State of Origin series. Tonga half-back Isaiya Katoa told Premier Sports: "I think that was about five or 10 levels above NRL tonight," adding, "Every tackle felt like the first of the game. There are going to be some sore bodies out there." He also said: "Something that goes so unnoticed is the impact Woolfy [Kristian Woolf] has as the coach. He cares about every single one of us. The reason you've got Jojo Fifita and Rob Toia [two of the State of Origin players] wanting to play for Tonga is because of the coach."
Both teams are led by Australian coaches: Kristian Woolf has been in charge of Tonga since 2014 and Ben Gardiner has been head coach of Samoa since 2023. The article notes both men have coached in the NRL and have worked with their squads on "emotional regulation" for high-pressure matches.
Samoa head coach Ben Gardiner described the atmosphere after the game: "The occasion was unbelievable. I looked down at the start of the game and I've never seen so many people on the sidelines at a footy match in my life. It was a sensational occasion, and international rugby league is about that. It's about fanfare and it's about creating opportunities for our fans to come and watch our nations play. It was an absolute cracker." Tonga prop Addin Fonua-Blake told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: "I can't put it into words," and added, "This is the pinnacle for me. Representing my people is something special. I just want to thank from the bottom of my heart all the supporters. You could feel it this whole week, the amount of support that we had, that both teams had. And it's only going to keep growing. What the supporters have done for this game, it's unheard of. A few years ago, we wouldn't even sell out a game out of Campbelltown and now we're sitting here on one of the biggest stages selling out, and it's only going to get bigger." The piece also records that Australia’s government announced in July it was committing A$250m (£130m) over 10 years to the Pacific Rugby League Partnership, led by the Australian Rugby League Commission, to help create opportunities in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
The immediate outcome is that New Zealand will meet Tonga and Australia will face Samoa in the semi-finals; Samoa will reach back to back World Cup finals if they upset Australia on Sunday.