A League Away: Exploiting Mate Ma'a Tonga

The contribution of Maori and Pasifika to both rugby codes is well known. Take them out of the Kiwi and Wallabies teams and who do you have left?  The Tonga team Mate Ma'a Tonga  also make a major contributions the  sport.  This is not always properly acknowledged, as the following story illustrates.

It was a thrilling game between the Kiwis and  Mate Ma'a Tonga. at Mt Smart Stadum  at the weekend but behind the scenes all was not well.  The issues? Money and insensitivity.  Read  the complete article.  Here's a summary:

Kiwi team. Take away the brown faces and who's left? pn432

On money, Tongan organisers said,  "Tongan fans continue to bring huge profits to New Zealand Rugby League while Tonga's National Rugby League walk away with nothing.... Tonga fans packed out Mt Smart Stadium once again but the team are now left in need of sponsorship to continue playing at the Oceania League Cup.... ." 

Tonga's NFL spokesman Melino Maka said he believed both the rugby union and league organisations used the tier system to discriminate against the smaller Pacific Island countries' teams.