One-time minnows Tonga and Samoa now star World Cup attractions

Fri, 11 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Rabbitohs 10, Knights 20

Sat, 12 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 16, Dolphins 26

16 26 →Sat, 12 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Sharks 26, Cowboys 16

26 16 →Sun, 13 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Panthers 19, Roosters 12

19 12 →Sat, 19 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Roosters 46, Sharks 10

46 10 →Sun, 20 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 10, Knights 12

10 12 →Fri, 25 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Dolphins 20, Roosters 36

20 36 →Sun, 27 Sept, 4:00 pm, Final score, Panthers 14, Knights 22

14 22 →Sun, 4 Oct, 7:30 pm, Final score, Roosters 19, Knights 18

19 18 →

At Western Sydney Stadium last week, Toa Samoa had a moment of pure elation, a crushing 78-4 victory over France at the men's Rugby League World Cup.

It was capped off with an extraordinary final play that saw a penalty goal attempt from Stephen Crichton ricochet off the post and bounce.

Benaiah Ioelu then scored a try after the full-time siren had sounded, delivering Samoa's largest-ever victory.

What was more extraordinary was that a game with a kick-off time of 5:45pm on Friday, playing out what was likely and ultimately proved to be a walkover, still drew a crowd of 13,000.

It was a horror slot to play in: a workday, outside school holidays, in a busy part of Sydney where traffic was banking up across the many arterial roads that led to it.

Yet the crowd, largely comprising Western Sydney's large Samoan population, bellowed Ua fa'afetai — a traditional song of thanks and gratitude.

Fiji and the Cook Islands played each other on Sunday in Newcastle; there was a tick over 10,000 in the stands and another 1.7 million watching on television across Australia, outrating several flagship current affairs shows, news bulletins and reality programs.

These are just two examples that show this is a World Cup transformed by Pasifika passion.

The growing strength of Samoa and Tonga's men's teams has been no secret, but now more than ever the iron grip of dominance largely held by Australia on international rugby league, occasionally disrupted by New Zealand, could be under threat.

What has also been clear to those at the grounds or watching from home is that this World Cup in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea is one where diaspora communities have breathed life into a tournament that has previously lacked the same level of excitement or prestige compared to other international sporting events.

Australia's migration story tracks with this

The shift will be most obvious on November 1, when Samoa and Tonga play each other in Sydney, in a game that was the first to sell out despite being in the third week of the tournament.

Already a series of ex-players and pundits have raised the call to move the game to the larger Stadium Australia to accommodate a crowd beyond the 30,000 that Western Sydney Stadium holds.

The interest should come as no surprise though, as the Pasifika population in Australia has been steadily increasing.

In 2011, 165,000 Australians identified as being from Pasifika communities; by 2021, that number had almost tripled to 415,033.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows outer suburban areas of Sydney and Brisbane have burgeoning communities.

Sierra Keung, a senior lecturer in sports leadership and management at Auckland University of Technology, said she was not surprised by the fan turnout.

"The pride for our cultures, for our people, it's more than just a jersey for our Pasifika communities," Dr Keung told ABC Sport.

She cited a distinctive moment on the field that set this explosion in motion.

In 2017, the International Rugby League changed the rules to allow players with cultural ties to multiple nations to play for the country of their choosing.

The most famous change in allegiance was Jason Taumalolo.

That rule change is on full display at this tournament.

Of the listed starting line-up for Tonga's match against Lebanon last night at Western Sydney Stadium, none of the players were born in Tonga, but all have deep familial ties to the island nation.

Tonga beat Lebanon 36-0 to keep its campaign on track.

"This is years in the making, and it's come down to people making bold decisions, like Jason Taumalolo to be the first to say, 'I'm going to go home and represent my people,'" Dr Keung said.

Salesi Foketi is one of a number of Tongan players that chose to represent his familial roots over his country of birth, New Zealand.

"Right from when I was a boy, it was always Tonga," he said.

Winger Jojo Fifita made his debut last weekend for Tonga and it was a moment to acknowledge his forebears.

"Being able to represent my dad's side was something I'd always wanted to do when I was older and I finally got that opportunity," he said.

Extension beyond Pasifika diaspora may be the future

There is another team outside the South Pacific that is relying on heritage and cultural ties as the bind for players to represent it.

Lebanon will face Tonga tonight, and winger Jason Saab has potentially the most unique ties to the country.

His stepfather, whose name he took, is Lebanese, and Saab is now lining up for the Cedars.

Saab told ABC Sport in September of the sincere ties to Lebanese culture through his stepdad Pierre.

"That's the culture that raised me ultimately, that whole community of people. That's kind of where I found my identity to be," he said.

While all players in the Cedars squad were born in Australia, Lebanon coach Michael Cheika, who is also Lebanese Australian, said the small but dedicated rugby league community in Lebanon was driving the entire playing group, especially for those with family in Lebanon where strikes from Israel continued amid a broader conflict in the region.

"With everything that's going on over there … you've got to understand that they may not have enough petrol to get to the games, let alone field markings, fields that are available," he said.

As Samoa and Tonga have brought a genuine competitiveness to the tournament, there are other countries with large populations in Australia, such as Fiji and the Cook Islands, that could also challenge the Kangaroos, who have won 12 world titles, including six of the last seven.

"The talent is just through the roof right now, both men's and women's," Dr Keung said.

"So I'm really excited for this World Cup, but also for future World Cups too, because it's just going to get better and better each time it comes around."

There is no doubt rugby league has cottoned on to its international life blood, and it seems the public is following suit.