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Tonga defeated Lebanon 36-0 at CommBank Stadium in the men’s Rugby League World Cup, with Sione Katoa scoring the opening and closing tries of the match. Nine’s live coverage described a competitive opening 20 minutes before Tonga broke through. Lebanon resisted for stretches of the contest, but Tonga established a 14-0 half-time lead and added three more tries after the break to finish with six. Katoa opened the scoring after receiving the ball around 30 metres from the tryline and finishing out wide. Paul Alamoti missed the conversion but subsequently scored himself, taking advantage of space on Tonga’s right edge to extend the lead to 10-0. Lebanon also had an early reprieve when a Jojo Fifita try was overturned. The Bunker ruled that Tolutau Koula had knocked on during the build-up. Koula then produced one of the match’s standout moments shortly before half-time. After Jason Saab batted back a kick, Koula collected the ball and ran 95 metres to score, ending a period in which Lebanon had appeared to be working their way back into the contest. Fifita got his try early in the second half, stretching to ground the ball in the corner before Lebanon’s defenders could stop him. Tonga later broke through again through Leka Halasima, with Tuimoala Lolohea taking over the kicking duties from Alamoti and converting. Katoa completed his double in the 79th minute, putting the final touch on the 36-0 result. Nine’s coverage noted that the late tries widened the margin after Lebanon’s defence had held out for periods in both halves. The match completed a World Cup programme at CommBank Stadium that also featured the women’s fixture. For Tonga, the final score reflected a sustained attacking effort alongside a defence that kept Lebanon from scoring across the entire contest.
Tonga defeated Lebanon 36-0 at CommBank Stadium in the men’s Rugby League World Cup, with Sione Katoa scoring the opening and closing tries of the match.
Nine’s live coverage described a competitive opening 20 minutes before Tonga broke through. Lebanon resisted for stretches of the contest, but Tonga established a 14-0 half-time lead and added three more tries after the break to finish with six.
Katoa opened the scoring after receiving the ball around 30 metres from the tryline and finishing out wide. Paul Alamoti missed the conversion but subsequently scored himself, taking advantage of space on Tonga’s right edge to extend the lead to 10-0.
Lebanon also had an early reprieve when a Jojo Fifita try was overturned. The Bunker ruled that Tolutau Koula had knocked on during the build-up.
Koula then produced one of the match’s standout moments shortly before half-time. After Jason Saab batted back a kick, Koula collected the ball and ran 95 metres to score, ending a period in which Lebanon had appeared to be working their way back into the contest.
Fifita got his try early in the second half, stretching to ground the ball in the corner before Lebanon’s defenders could stop him. Tonga later broke through again through Leka Halasima, with Tuimoala Lolohea taking over the kicking duties from Alamoti and converting.
Katoa completed his double in the 79th minute, putting the final touch on the 36-0 result. Nine’s coverage noted that the late tries widened the margin after Lebanon’s defence had held out for periods in both halves.
The match completed a World Cup programme at CommBank Stadium that also featured the women’s fixture. For Tonga, the final score reflected a sustained attacking effort alongside a defence that kept Lebanon from scoring across the entire contest.
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