Game 35 - France v Tonga - Wellington Regional Stadium - 1st October 2011

As I have often mentioned in this blog, my beautiful wife Megan is one quarter Tongan. That means our impending twins will be an eighth Tongan, and blood is thicker than water. This match, in our home town, is our only opportunity to go cheer for their fellow countrymen, so that's where we'll be. But this is not going to be a walk in the park for the Tongans.

The French will be angry and vengeful after their whipping by the All Blacks in Game 25. They were pretty much schooled one week ago, and they will be desperate to switch things up. Both teams have a grand tradition of beautiful running play - hopefully we get a match to remember tonight.

TONGA V FRANCE awesome game

TONGA V FRANCE warmup

We are back now from the Cake Tin and certainly the shock of the tournament. The Tongans played their hearts out in front of 32,000 screaming fans. We rode a roller coaster from disbelief to deluded optimism to euphoria to nerve wracking anxiousness and finally to belief.

At the outset the Les Bleus fans generated more noise and more passion than the Tongan supporters. We watched a well-drilled French side assert their pattern on the game as they controlled the first 22 minutes to be a shade ahead at 6-3.

But as the game stretched beyond the first quarter, the French fell to bits. Actually that isn't true - they were pounded to bits, by a passionate, agressive, uncompromising, brilliant and committed Tongan team. The Tongans played so well they could have scored 3 or 4 tries after the sole try scavenged by Viliame Iongi on the 25 minute mark. He dotted down from the sitting position which was certainly a first at this Rugby World Cup.

His try gave the Tongans belief. After it they scrummaged, jumped in the line-outs, ran and tackled like demons for the rest of the match. The only thing they didn't do well was kick, and several poor kicks cost the Tongans try scoring opportunities throughout the game.

But that didn't matter, nor did Referee Steve Walsh's decision to yellow card the hard hitting winger Sukanaivalu Hufanga late in the first half. The Tongans just played like they deserved to be there and believed they were better, and that was all it took.

The French seemed content to wait for mistakes and gaps that never came. So after 70 minutes they were 10 points behind and desperate not to be beaten by this tiny minnow nation. They threw the kitchen sink, the bath and then a swimming pool at the Tongans and couldn't find any chinks in their armour. They played the last ten minutes inside the Tongan twenty two, but only picked up a consolation try, finished very tidily by right winger Vincent Clerc after full time on the clock.

This is the biggest boil-over of the tournament and leaves everyone wondering what may have been if Tonga had beaten Canada, as they no doubt should have done. It was also in my opinion the match of the tournament. It was an honour to be there to see history made. Go Tonga!

Final Score: Tonga 19 - France 14

35 games 211 tries.

Tweet of the match - "Tonga, je'taime" @malosilima