Mate Ma'a Tonga rugby league players got the opportunity of a lifetime as they met the nation's king, Tupou VI ahead of their historic test with the Kangaroos.
King Tupou VI welcomed the Tongan squad to his private residence at 'Atalanga' in Auckland on Thursday, with only his daughter Princess Latufuipeka and three talking chiefs also listening in.
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He addressed the players personally, telling them how to prepare for battle, and then shook hands with each member of the squad.
Tonga will face the world champion 'Roos for the first time in front of a sell-out crowd at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium.
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf said it was a privileged to meet the King of Tonga.
"It's another add-on to the enormity of the event. Not too many sports people in Tonga get to meet the king and our how team got the chance to last night.
"It was special for the team and players."
Tonga captain Sika Manu echoed his coach's comments.
"It was an unbelievable experience to meet the royal family - I can't explain how special that was not only for myself, but for the team.
"He told us about the history of Tonga and the Warriors back in the day, and I'm sure the boys will take some of his advice into the game."
Princess Latufuipeka told NRL.com the King was very excited to meet the players.
"Usual Tongan protocol is that His Majesty waits inside the house, and when we are ready to take the photo he will come out and join us, but yesterday he was so excited and eager to greet them that when he knew the bus was parked outside the gate he came out just to see the team arrive," she said.
"His Majesty waited there until they were ready before he joined them in the photo. He not only loves them but he supports them, and he gave them a word of encouragement."
The meeting was organised by Pakilau O Aoteroa Manase Lua, who was appointed by the Tongan National Rugby League to work with the NRL on preparations for the match.
"He told them about his ancestor, King Tupou I, and how he and his warriors would prepare for battle. He gave the boys tips," Lua told NRL.com
"What I can share is that the king was very, very passionate and he gave the boys some real rev up statements about how his ancestor prepared for war.
"When the King talked about the preparation of the warriors and his ancestors when they conquered the whole of Tonga, the players were listening intently.
"The king gave some tips on how Tupou I managed to motivate his troops so all of those tips he shared with the boys.
"For the boys, this was something that probably would have surprised them, but I think they took it all on board. Then they got to meet him, so they got to greet him, shake his hand and it was a learning experience for them culturally."
Coming off the back of their shock 24-26 loss to the Kiwis last week, Mal Meninga's Kangaroos side is staring down the barrel of consecutive losses in the same calendar year for the first time since 1978.
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Join us at 7:30pm Saturday for live updates of the Mate Ma'a Tonga vs Australian Kangaroos league test at Mt Smart Stadium.
