LIVE COMMENTARY (Be sure to refresh your browser)
New Zealand - 34 Tonga - 14
FULLTIME - Fantastic test match and a great occasion, despite the slightly lopsided contest. Check out the video highlights and full game wrap here.
77 mins - TRY TONGA - Taukeiaho caught with the ball on the last, drops a chip kick in for Tupou who leaps to contest, DWZ knocks the ball back and Tupou reaches out to dot the bouncing ball down with one hand. TMO confirms all is in order and there's another consolation try for the Tongans. Not sure he had downward pressure on that, but who's really complaining at this stage. (NZ 34-14)
76 mins - Tonga back on the offensive, just metres shy...
73 mins - TRY TONGA - Tupounuia starts the movement with a huge 40m run. Taumalolo at second reciver with some audacious skill, shows Benji up with his own no-look short ball to Taukeiaho who strolls through to dot down next to the posts as the Tongan faithful explode into full voice. (NZ 34-10)
71 mins - RTS elusive down the left edge. Benji with the no-look shortball and K. Bromwich is just short. Johnson grubbers on the last but Hopoate is there to regather.
70 mins - Taumalolo fumbles one at his own 30m. NZ with more attacking ball.
68 mins - TRY KIWIS - Joseph Manu gathers a loose pass and puts the foot down, brushes off two tacklers to barrage over from 25m out. This is starting to get ugly for Tonga. Marsters on the money with the conversion. (NZ 34-4)
67 mins - Johnson threatening, finds Marsters who Taumalolo cuts in half with an enormous hit. Referee says a red hand touched it, NZ to launch again from 10m out...
65 mins - Starting to get a bit sloppy out there for Tonga who are desperately trying to create something on attack. Knock-on sees NZ take tackle one at halfway.
61 mins - TRY KIWIS - All too easy for Jahrome Hughes, who scampers from dummy half as the defence sags off him, then accelerates into a half gap to celebrate his debut in style. That one should seal if for NZ. Marsters with the conversion. (NZ 28-4)
60 mins - Tonga hold, Kenny Bromwich with a deft grubber that forces Lolohea to tap it dead. Six more on the way for NZ.
58 mins - Tupou knocks on what looked to be a pretty average clearance from Johnson. NZ will finally have some attacking field position.
57 mins - Tupou soars to attempt to claim the crossfield kick but can't reel it in. NZ survive, again.
55 mins - Lolohea with another poinpoint grubber to trap the covering RTS. Droput coming, and this is essentially the fiifth straight set of goal-line defence for the Kiwis.
54 mins - NZ gift the ball back just a couple of tackles later, upgraded to a penlaty as Johnson is pinged for excessive lip. Tonga, 10m out...
53 mins - And the NZ defence is up to the task yet again. Tonga fumble as they scramble to keep it alive on the last.
51 mins - Ball spilled but referee says it was stripped. Tonga tap and go. Five penalties to zero....make that six as NZ are pinged for offside. Tonga must cash in here.
50 mins - NZ defence holding firm. Another well weighted kick, this time from Lolohea, gives RTS little chance of escaping his in-goal. Here comes a third straight set of six for Tonga.
48 mins - Tonga raid from 30m out, set ends with an ad-hoc Havili grubber that traps Marsters under the sticks. Dropout coming.
47 mins - Mate Ma'a staring at a hefty deficit now, really need to be the next to score.
45 mins - TRY KIWIS - It's hat man again Brandon Smith, peels off 30m with a devastating break, runs out of support and puts in a chip towards the posts from 20m out, ball rebounds off the post and Johnson and RTS both get a hand to the ball to complete the try. Johnson has been awarded the dot, and that will be a hat-trick for the Sharks half.
44 mins - Benji in the thick of it tonight, marshalling the troops expertly. Sorry about that one.
42 mins - RTS returns to the 30m on tackle one. Asofa-Solomona with a rampaging run followed by a great offload. Jesse Bromwich caught on the last, kills the Kiwi threat.
41 mins - Tonga receive to the the scond stanza started.
Second half underway...
HALFTIME - Scintillating half of test match rugby league at Mt Smart. Plenty of action in both directions, should be a huge second half on the way.
40 mins - TRY KIWIS - Killer blow from NZ right as the halftime siren sounds, and it's former Mt Smart favourite Johnson yet again in almost a carbon copy of his first try - dummying and accelerating though a gap for his second. Conversion hits the post. (NZ 16-4)
38 mins - Break from Manu down the left edge with a huge fend, brought down a few metres short of the line. Nikora grubbers on the last, risky pass in the in-goal is fumbled and they scramble it down. Goalline dropout.
36 mins - Crazy passage of play sees the ball swing from sideline to sideline, Lolohea to Fusitu'a who can't quite soar high enough to get the ball down under the attention of a swarm of covering tacklers. NZ survive.
35 mins - Asiata kicks to the corner on the last, DWZ claims it in the air but Manu is penalised for impeding a chaser. Six more on the way, 10m out...
34 mins - Penalty Tonga, they'll launch from the NZ 30m...
33 mins - Smith pinballs on a battering run from dummy half again, the man is such a handful.
30 mins - TRY WARRIORS - Benji links with Johnson to the right, who feigns to pass, ghosts through a gap and dives across the chalk to score. Cue forlorn Warriors supporters. Marsters nails the conversion. (NZ12-4)
29 mins - Taumalolo monsters his way up the middle for more big metres, puts Fonua-Blake clear with an offload but the referee's called that forward. NZ scrum in the middle of the park.
28 mins - Johnson ends a decent set with a kick that pins Hopoate back on his own line once again.
26 mins - Lolohea with another awful last tackle kick, richoets into touch and NZ will feed the scrum near halfway.
25 mins - Kenny Bromwich again leading the charge in a superb set of six for NZ, as Hopoate only just gets the ball into the field of play from the clearance.
24 mins - Tonga with 61 percent of possession so far. The Kiwis need some ball in hand.
22 mins - TRY TONGA - Asiata bombs for his winger, it's not quite on the mark but Tupou manages to bat it back directly in the path of Solomone Kata who has a clear run to a corner the former Warriors is fairly familar with. Staggs can't slot the sidleine conversion. (NZ 6-4)
20 mins - Smith crushes Lolohea in a ball and all tackle 20m out from the line. Ref says he's too busy in the tackle though, and here come another six tackles for Tonga...
19 mins - Grubber cleaned up by RTS but he can't escape his in-goal. Six more coming up.
18 mins - Taumalolo taken high. Fresh set coming...Taumalolo looks to burrow over from dummy half, he's over the chalk but the referee doesn't think he has the ball down. TMO takes a look, and he agrees.
17 mins - Joseph Manu can't collect the Asiata grubber cleanly. He's facing his own line, but the ref calls it a knock on. Tonga go again...
16 mins - Marshall can't find the mark with his crossfield kick and Tonga escape. Pangai Jr with a barnstorming run as they cross halway.
15 mins - Lolohea bungles the the touchfinder and falls right into NZ hands. Tackle three 20m out and its danger time again for Tonga...
14 mins - Marsters with a half break on the kick return. Excellent set from NZ traps Hopoate right by his corner flag.
11 mins - TRY KIWIS - Waiheke's finest comes to the party with a spectacular individual effort - bursting from the dummy half, selling a dummie pass combo with a fend then beating fullback Hopoate to crash over under the crossbar. What a talent. (NZ 6-)
10 mins - Trademark kick return by RTS, pumps the legs after the big step and takes tackle one at halfway.
9 mins - Kenny Bromwich breaks one tackle, spins out of another and he's brought down just a metre short of the tryline. His brother Jesse crashes at first receiver but can't muscle his way over, that'll be a handover on the last.
8 mins - Smith up the middle in a big burst from dummy half, peels off 20m as NZ cross halfway.
7 mins - Lolohea kicks to his winger Fusitu'a but DWZ is up to the task, does well to claim that one in the air.
6 mins - Sloppy offload from Waerea-Hargeaves results in a knock on both ways. Tonga to feed scrum at NZ 40m.
4 mins - RTS drops an easy one cold and here's a huge chance for Tonga just metres out. But Asiata does the same at first receiver just a tackle later and NZ are let off the hook.
3 mins - RTS safely under the high ball. Only 23m on that set as the Tongan tacklers fly in. Benji clears and Tonga take tackle one at their 30m.
2 mins - Will Hopoata bounces out of tackles, 4th tackle Tonga at the NZ 40m...
1 min - JWH gets the honour of the first hit-up and he's met en masse. Brandon Smith up next, hard-earned early metres for NZ. 56m gain and a Johnson bomb, sturdy opening set.
We're underway...
5:42pm - How special is this? Benji to lead the Kiwis haka. Fearsome rendition laid down, the tone is well and truly set.
5:40pm - Saliva Havili has the honour of leading the Tongan Sipi Tau on his former home ground.
5:38pm - Benji overcome by emotion as the NZ anthem plays, struggling to sing as the tears flow freely. Great to see.
5:35pm - Both teams out on the paddock now, anthems and war dance square-off are imminent. Chilly evening at Mt Smart, but it's relatively dry with no sign of rain....yet.
5:33pm - It's not quite the ocean of red we saw for the Australia v Tonga test, but it's a solid sea, no doubt about that.
5:30pm - Manly's Addin Fonua-Blake confirmed to start in place of the suspended Andrew Fifita for Tonga.
Kia ora and welcome to live updates as New Zealand and Tonga return to the scene of their World Cup epic for a one-off test at Mt Smart Stadium.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. VIDEO will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start from around 5:30pm (NZT). In the meantime check out the video above for a preview of tonight's game.
Betting odds
New Zealand - $1.55 Tonga - $2.45
Pre-match banter:
Tonga's Taumalolo expects fireworks at Mt Smart
Tonga insist their internal feel-good factor is as strong as ever, even though the tide appears to be out on their "Red Sea" of support for this weekend's Test against New Zealand.
Saturday's match at Mt Smart Stadium is unlikely to sell out, a surprising outcome given the fanatical crowds Mate Ma'a Tonga have attracted since their beefed-up team won hearts at the 2017 World Cup.
A breakdown of ticket sales suggest it is Tongan supporters who won't be showing up in the colossal numbers that made the World Cup so memorable.
The deafening numbers and red flags returned for last year's blockbuster showdown with Australia in Auckland.
Talismanic forward Jason Taumalolo joked that fans were waiting for ticket prices to drop this week before committing to the inaugural Oceania Cup Test.
He said even if numbers are down on what they've become accustomed to, there will be no let-up to his team's psyche.
"Going back into camp this week, it felt like we never left 2017," he said.
"That's one thing that I obviously enjoy about camp is the camaraderie that we have.
"But at the end of the day, it's how we go on the field that reflects how we go as a country."
It's the first meeting of the Pacific rivals since Tonga stunned the Kiwis in World Cup group play two years ago.
Taumalolo's men were eliminated in the semi-finals by England and were off the pace when overwhelmed 34-16 by the Kangaroos last October.
While Tonga are seeking greater consistency, the same could be said of New Zealand, who ended last year's 2-1 series loss in England with 34-0 thumping of the hosts in the dead-rubber final Test.
That performance mirrored their upset of Australia a month earlier and is the minimum standard demanded by coach Michael Maguire.
"We grew whilst we were away on our last tour but we've got to take another big step forward now," Maguire said.
"It's been a really good week actually but at the end of the day we'll be judged by what we do in the 80 minutes."
AAP
