Overview
- New Zealand surged to a decisive lead with four tries in a 19‑minute burst and went to halftime up by more than 20 points.
- Keano Kini opened the scoring by starting and finishing a length‑of‑the‑field move, while Dylan Brown scored twice and created another with a pinpoint kick.
- Eliesa Katoa suffered head impacts including a pre‑game collision, underwent two in‑game HIAs, then was taken to hospital with concussion symptoms as Tonga’s coach said team doctors cleared his returns.
- The result eliminated Tonga, who needed to win by 18, and booked New Zealand into the Pacific Cup decider against Samoa at CommBank Stadium on November 9.
- Erin Clark was sin‑binned just before the break, a crowd of 38,914 packed Eden Park, and the Kiwis confirmed Sebastian Kris and Nelson Asofa‑Solomona are out of the final with calf injuries.