Tonga Blank Lebanon 36-0 to Stay Undefeated at Rugby League World Cup

Tonga's red wall held firm and their attack eventually exploded as Kristian Woolf's men blanked Lebanon 36-0 in their Rugby League World Cup pool clash at CommBank Stadium on Friday night.

With halfback Isaiya Katoa sidelined by an ankle injury, Tui Lolohea stepped up in the No. 7 jersey and guided Tonga to a seven-tries-to-zero victory in front of 25,065 fans. Lebanon threw everything at the favorites in a brutal first half but could not crack the Tongan line, and the class gap told after the break.

Sione Katoa opened the scoring in the 13th minute off a Lehi Hopoate pass, Paul Alamoti made it 10-0 in the 21st, and Tolu Koula produced the match-turning play on the stroke of halftime — plucking Jason Saab's tap-back out of the air and racing 90 metres to score. Koula then set up Jojo Fifita in the 44th minute, Leka Halasima sealed the result with 11 minutes to play, and Fifita grabbed his second before Sione Katoa added the exclamation mark in the final minute.

The victory keeps Tonga undefeated after last week's 30-12 statement win over England, and attention now turns to next Sunday's sold-out blockbuster against Samoa — a rematch Tonga have been circling since last year's 28-point defeat in Brisbane.