Tonga receive heroic welcome ahead of Australia Test

Drew Darbyshire

The Tonga team received an incredible welcome in New Zealand ahead of their Test against Australia.

The Mate Ma’a face the Kangaroos for the first ever time on Saturday, October 20, at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland.

Tickets for the one-off Test match have already sold out and the Tonga players received a very warm reception when they arrived in Auckland on Wednesday.

Approximately 1,000 fans welcomed them to the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau and fans had been gathering since earlier that afternoon.

There were plenty of red and white scarves and flags inside and outside of the arena.

Tonga were one of the teams of the tournament at last year’s World Cup. They were knocked out in the semi-finals by England, but it was the atmosphere the Tongan fans created that really stole the headlines…

International Australia