They came from far and wide, at short notice, to answer the call of their community.
The devastating effects of the Tongan earthquake were felt well beyond the tiny islands in the Pacific, with Tongan communities scattered around the world collectively mourning the devastating impact.
In Victoria, which houses a thriving Tongan diaspora, the time to come together and heal had never been more important.
What was meant to be a standard preseason Super Rugby trial between the Melbourne Rebels and Fijian Drua quickly became a meeting point for all Pacific nations seeking to show their support for their island cousins.
Some quick thinking from local community leaders saw the Pacific Nations Cup idea rapidly implemented; a chance for Melbourne Tonga to play a curtain raiser against the equally enthusiastic Victoria Samoa prior to the Super Rugby trial.
By kick off, the mid-week, mid-afternoon crowd had already swelled to 400 people at a time of day when many probably ought to have been at work, but where rugby and community are involved, there was no stopping the supporters arriving in droves.
“It was so important to have our people here today,” explained the Melbourne Tonga head coach Leni Tui.
“Our Tongan culture is so proud. To represent our families and the people back home makes us proud.
“We only had two trainings together, but when we called upon the Tongan players to represent their country, they all rocked up in numbers.
“Their heart was in it and they really wanted to do it for the people back home.
“The majority of our players had people back home who were affected; family members who had their entire village wiped out.
“But all Tongans are all family.”
The sentiment showed on the paddock, with a 0-0 halftime score line belying the give-no-inch mindset of both teams. The sweltering heat and tiring bodies opened up the game in the second half with the more direct approach of the Tongans seeing them steamroll their way to an unexpected 19-7 victory.
Overwhelmed by the turnout, Rugby Victoria CEO Chris Evans praised the dedicated work of the Pacific community to get the events up and running.
“It all came together pretty quickly,” explained Evans.
“As we know, 68% of our registered club players come from pacific nations, of which a significant proportion comes from Tonga. We know they play integral role in the fabric of our community.
“Over the last two weeks, lead by David Palu, Dennis Sua, Sam Aiuta, Leni Tui and Bryony Epa, they were able to quickly pull together two squads to play this match.
“A big thankyou must go to the Samoan community too. It was great to see their support of the event and their support for their Tongan brothers and sisters during such a difficult time.”
