KEY POINTS:
WORLD CUP
Tonga 48
Scotland 0
Tonga destroyed a battered and bruised Scotland in their final Rugby League World Cup match played yesterday.
The Pacific Islanders secured a seventh place in the event with their dismantling of the Scots in front of a sellout 5913 crowd at Rockhampton's Browne Park.
Tonga were simply too strong for their Northern Hemisphere counterparts, who failed to back up their shock win _ Scotland's first in World Cup history _ over Fiji just last Wednesday.
Leading 24-0 at halftime, the Tongans picked up where they left off when Tony Williams smashed his way over in the 45th minute, his conversion giving Tonga an unassailable lead.
Cooper Vuna crossed for his second try 10 minutes later to make it 36-0.
Tired defence couldn't hold the Tongans from there, with tries from Fetuli Talanoa (59th) and Michael Jennings (80th) completing the rout.
The Tongans had taken just four minutes to get on the board, using five-eighth and man of the match Feleti Mateo's height to advantage.
A forward pass ruled by referee Shane Hayne saved Scotland the embarrassment of three tries in the first 14 minutes after Jennings had put Vuna over with a long ball.
Scotland managed to gain some field position from there but were denied when second rower Iain Morrison spilled the ball with the line open in the 22nd minute.
And it was Tonga who answered, with Etuate Waisele diving over in the corner a few tackles after a 70-metres break by Jennings.
The Scots handed Tonga another six points just before the break when a loose pass landed in Vuna's hands and he ran 90 metres to score under the posts for a 24-0 halftime lead.
Tonga 48 (C. Vuna 2, F. Mateo, E. Paea, E. Uasisele, T. Williams, F. Talanoa, M. Jennings tries; Williams 6, Paea, S. Moa gls) Scotland 0. Ht: 24-0.
