"I enjoyed their company. It’s all credit to Mal [Meninga] to be honest. He gave me this opportunity and he was grateful I was doing it. "We’re growing the international game. Even the Australians were coming up to us after the game and saying how much this is bigger than [State of] Origin. Loading "When they were trying to talk they couldn’t hear anything. That’s a credit to our fans. Our fans are loyal and they’re really loud." Fifita played down the chances of him leading the Tongan war cry when quizzed by Fairfax Media earlier in the week, and quipped he did not know any of the words.

But one of the lasting images of the historic match against the Kangaroos at a buzzing Mt Smart Stadium will be Fifita being surrounded by his teammates as they took a knee before kick-off. "If we had won that England [semi-final] at the World Cup I was ready for it the following week," Fifita said. "In an indigenous way it's a respect thing and a 'welcome to the country'. All the boys wanted me to lead it and I felt honoured to. Powerful: Fifita was front and centre for the spiritual pre-match ritual. Credit:NRL Photos "I don't speak [Tongan] fluently, I had to learn it from the boys. We practised, and to lead the war dance was amazing."

The front-rower caused a stir when he was selected for Australia at last year's World Cup, only to inform them he was jumping ship to Tonga. The switches of Fifita and Jason Taumalolo from New Zealand were the two reasons the electric showdown with Australia was given so much priority. Fifita polarises league fans but you can not deny what he has done for Tonga, not to mention his surrendering of more than $120,000 in match payments he could have earned from three Origin games and the Kangaroos Test against New Zealand this season alone. Mate against mate: Fifita poses with Kangaroos Aaron Woods and Valentine Holmes after the match. Credit:NRL Photos Tongan officials will be keen to make sure Tevita Pangai Jnr, another young star eligible for NSW and Australia, remains loyal.

Fifita had a mixed night and came up with a few errors, including a knock-on from the kick-off after Tonga scored to get back in the game midway through the first half. "There were a couple of errors but that’s going to happen when you haven’t played a game in so long," said Fifita, who stressed the need for a warm-up game the next time Tonga played a Test against another powerhouse. The 29-year-old will now undergo two bouts of surgery on his left knee, which plagued him for a large chunk of Cronulla's campaign.