Samoa Defeats Tonga 34-6 in Delayed Pacific Cup Rugby Final

Samoa secured a decisive 34-6 victory over Tonga in the Pacific Championships rugby league match at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, advancing to the Pacific Cup final on November 9. The game featured standout performances from Samoa's second-rower Jeremiah Nanai, who scored two tries, and was marked by a 90-minute lightning delay due to severe weather. The match drew a large crowd of over 44,000 fans and was characterized by intense physical play and traditional war dances from both teams before kickoff. Tonga, despite fielding a strong lineup and aiming to secure a final spot by defeating Samoa, suffered from the early concussion of prop Stefano Utoikamanu and the late injury withdrawal of star forward Jason Taumalolo. Samoa's win ended their six-test losing streak and gave their coach Ben Gardiner his first victory at the helm. Tonga must now beat New Zealand by 17 points in their next match to get another chance at Samoa in the final.