Samoa and Tonga's World Cup clash more than a game for a generation of fans turned heroes
- Ahead of their sold-out Rugby League World Cup match on Sunday, the new faces of the eternal rivalry between Tonga and Samoa didn't quite go straight from the stands onto the field, but they went pretty close.
- Four years ago, when the two met in the last World Cup, Francis Manuleleua was hunched over in his bedroom in South Auckland, watching the game on his phone.
- He was 18, with the rugby league world at his feet, and after Samoa held on for a pulsating 20-18 victory, he snatched up a flag and marched into the street because his life had changed forever.
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- Ahead of their sold-out Rugby League World Cup match on Sunday, the new faces of the eternal rivalry between Tonga and Samoa didn't quite go straight from the stands onto the field, but they went pretty close.
- Four years ago, when the two met in the last World Cup, Francis Manuleleua was hunched over in his bedroom in South Auckland, watching the game on his phone.
- He was 18, with the rugby league world at his feet, and after Samoa held on for a pulsating 20-18 victory, he snatched up a flag and marched into the street because his life had changed forever.
Sources: ABC Australia