“I can’t put it into words,” Tonga prop Addin Fonua-Blake told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “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.”
Both countries have also benefited from generous financial deals the likes of which English rugby league supporters want introduced for their team.
Australia’s government in July announced, external it was committing A$250m (£130m) over 10 years to the Pacific Rugby League Partnership, designed to help create opportunities in Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, and is being led by the Australian Rugby League Commission.
It is the kind of diversification rugby league badly needs, after a reduced and unbalanced World Cup which at times has struggled to live up to its name.
“The branding of the World Cup, I think that’s wrong,” former England international Ryan Hall told BBC Radio 5 Live. “The essence of any World Cup in any sport is, it’s a festival of the sport.
“I’m not saying Rugby League could get 48 teams in the World Cup because that’s not achievable, but certainly more than 10. It’s meant to be a festival and showcasing to everyone of all levels of different countries who’s eligible to play, get it out there.
“I’ll talk about Italy in 2013. Italy don’t play Rugby League too much. They managed to get a team full of people who love their heritage, based in the NRL, a lot of Australians, and they managed to beat England in a warm-up game. So don’t tell me there’s no countries out there, such as Italy, who cannot live up to displaying well in the World Cup and putting on an event.”
If rugby league is to grow and the World Cup is to survive, it needs new blood to thrive. A world title for Tonga and Samoa would certainly help.
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