Tonga and Samoa rugby league fans brawl ahead of World Cup game
Friday 3 November 2017 09:10, UK
Tongan and Samoan fans were involved in a street fight on Thursday night in South Auckland, New Zealand.
A group of up to 200 people were involved in the brawl, which erupted when a Samoan flag was set on fire.
Weapons such as sticks, poles and, according to police, a machete were used during the fight, which resulted in six people being detained.
Samoa and Tonga meet in a Rugby League World Cup group game on Saturday morning at 6.30am (UK time) at the Waikato Stadium.
New Zealand police and community leaders have appealed for calm after closing the surrounding streets to ensure the safety of other people.
Police superintendent Sandra Manderson told Radio New Zealand: "It was major disorder. Some people in the crowd were carrying poles and sticks. I believe there was also a machete taken off someone."
There has been several bouts of violence in the region this week which is home to tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders.
With tensions running high in the lead up to the World Cup clash, the Tongan team posted a "lets keep the peace" message on their Facebook page.
Samoa forward Sam Tagataese pleaded with supporters of both teams to respect each other.
He told TVNZ News: "From the players' point of view as much as we love the game I call out to both fans of both nations just to show respect for each other.
"With us growing up, our culture, we've been taught respect and as both nations, as much as we respect each other on the field, we respect each other off the field as well."
Samoa and Tonga's Rugby League teams will compete for a World Cup quarter-final place this weekend.
