Tonga, Samoa square off in epic haka showdown
Samoa's match against Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup didn't need any more spice but it came anyway in the form of a spine-tingling pre-game showdown.
The Pacific Island rivals locked horns in an epic confrontation as both sets of players took their ferocious war dances to the opposition.
TONGA TRIUMPHANT: Star-studded Tongans leave it late to seal win
BITING FURORE: Farah claims he was bitten in feisty England match
FULL SCHEDULE: Who's playing and when?
BIG STATEMENT: Johnson breaks record in huge NZ win
The passion on the players' faces was perhaps only matched by the electricity from the stands in Hamilton.
Those war dances were the best thing I've seen in rugby league all year. Let's get @tongaNRL & @RLSamoa playing an annual three Test series!
— Josh Massoud (@josh_massoud) November 4, 2017
Both teams started their hakas inside their own halves but the Tongans kept creeping forward until they were almost up in the faces of their Samoan rivals.
The Samoans stood their ground and the stadium erupted at the conclusion of the spectacle as both teams applauded each other.
The lead-up the match between the Pacific Island heavyweights has been dominated by violent clashes between rival fans in New Zealand.
Footage appearing earlier in the week on social media of Tongan and Samoan rugby league fans in a brawl in Otahuhu led the police to increase patrolling and monitor vehicle and crowd activity in the area.
The tensions have led the Tongan team to call for peace via a video uploaded to Konrad Hurrell's Facebook account.
"Hey what's up guys this is the Mate Ma'a Tonga team - just a message to our toko's (brothers) and uso's (brothers) out there, please keep the peace," said Tonga skipper Skia Manu.
"We're all from the islands – let's keep the peace."
Stay informed on the go with the new 7Sport app. Get the latest headlines and videos right at your fingertips.
Free from Google Play or the App Store.
