Watch: 'Give us our win!' – Tonga league fans chant defiantly in protest over ref's decision during Auckland march

November 27, 2017

Tongan fans protested what they saw as an unfair decision in the Rugby League World Cup semi loss.

It was largely a proud and happy scene among Tongan fans assembled in Auckland CBD tonight, but there was nevertheless some ongoing frustration for their contentious loss in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final.

For the second night in a row fans have march in the city over Tonga's exit from the Rugby League World Cup.

Organisers of the the event, who were totally separate from the community organiser of Sunday's Auckland march, were keen to stress that tonight's event was a protest, and not a celebration.

One repeated chant from the crowd was "give us our win", as fans walked up Queen St.

Officially it was a protest, but Tonga fans were certainly celebrating they RLWC team’s effort in Auckland.

There was a lingering sense among the crowd of having been robbed, or at least done a disservice, in referee Matt Cecchin's decision to not review a disallowed Tongan try in the dying minutes because Andrew Fifita had knocked in on during the play. 

England beat Tonga 20-18 in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final.

But despite a bit of anger among Tongan fans, there was an overwhelming sense of joy at the protest that was hard to keep down for very long. 

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