Wynne Gray: Riding the wave in a sea of Tongan red

Tongan wing David Fusitu'a is an integral part of the red tidal wave. Photo / Photosport

After the Kiwis lame exit from the Rugby League World Cup there is a massive appetite for Tonga to continue their resurgence.

That passion has been brewing since the start of the tournament when their fans delivered the level of support seldom seen in this country since Tonga clashed with the All Blacks to start the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

It's novel for the five-tackle-kick code that has been mining for support at Mt Smart since the Warriors started in the NRL at the site of a former quarry. A steady core of support has stuck by their wavering side but nothing like the expected Tongan wall of sound usually reserved for concerts at the venue.

Sold-out signs went up for Adele's concerts in March and similar capacity claims are being made ahead of Tonga's duel with England tomorrow.

Admiration for Tonga's tournament run has been building as they overcame discomfort on the field with their late surge to saw off the Kiwis then a quarter-final struggle against Lebanon. Off the field there has been disquiet, too.

The late change of allegiance by a group of Tongan players was legal but if those players were trenchant about their views they should have declared those intentions much earlier. They let themselves and the sport down with their extra-time country swaps and so did some of their fans who stepped across the laws of this land.

Patriotic exuberance is a rare sporting commodity in New Zealand but when it morphs into reckless behaviour and violence it has to answer to the same laws governing everyone in this country. The police, players and leaders in the Pacific Island community moved to corral the activities and tomorrow that off-field reaction will be tested as much as on the surface at Mt Smart.

Inside that arena, Tonga needs their rock stars to be headline acts if they are going to send England out of the tournament.

Jason Taumalolo, Michael Jennings and Andrew Fifita need to dominate if they are to quell the talents of Sam Burgess, James Graham and Gareth Widdop and deliver another knockout blow.

Tonga's concentration tilted in the emotion of their sudden-death duel with Lebanon and they need to rediscover the last quarter venom they uncorked to ride over the Kiwis.

England have the measured tactical mind of Wayne Bennett while this is new turf for Tonga coach Kristian Woolf.

Their fans will generate most of the atmosphere with their red tide of enthusiasm. The question is whether Tonga can bring enough discipline and sustained class to ice that support. The heart wants it but the head has misgivings. What is Mate Ma'a Tonga's answer?