Pacific Championships Week 3 | Super League stars

Week 3 of the Pacific Championships happened at the weekend, with a number of Betfred Super League stars taking centre stage.

Tui Lolohea’s Tonga have progressed to the Pacific Cup Final after beating Peta Hiku’s New Zealand in dramatic fashion on Saturday.

Dramatic victory ?@TuiLolohea's Tonga are into the Pacific Cup Final ??#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/4enimLqZWa

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) November 2, 2024

Lolohea and Hiku were the sole Super League representatives in their respective sides as an epic affair unfolded, with Tonga clinching a 24-25 victory.

Lolohea partnered Isaiya Katoa, who kicked the match-winning drop goal, in the halves once again in Week 3. In defeat, Hiku made 144 metres and 32 tackles – one of the standout performers in the Kiwis outfit.

Tonga are now on the verge of history as they aim to become the first Pacific nation to win the final of a major tournament. They will face Australia next weekend.

Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea were crowned Pacific Bowl Champions after a confident 42-20 win over the Cook Islands - and booked themselves a place in next Sunday's promotion-relegation play-off match against New Zealand.

PACIFIC BOWL CHAMPIONS ????#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/bGpzRtxezz

— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) November 3, 2024

Lachlan Lam was captaining his country for the first time, following the footsteps of his father Adrian Lam and produced a truly stunning performance.

The Leigh Leopards halfback scored a try, made three try assists, one line break, six tackle busts and 119 metres.

Lam beats them all! ?#PacificChamps pic.twitter.com/i7D4qPmA5s

— NRL (@NRL) November 3, 2024

Both Lam and Nene Macdonald starred in PNG’s incredible win, as they helped their side fight back from 14-4 down in the first forty.

Both players scored before the break to put PNG ahead at half-time, with this momentum continuing well into the second half as Macdonald crossed for his second.

Macdonald made the most metres out of any player on the pitch (191) with 16 runs and a whooping 11 tackle busts - another stellar performance for his country at fullback.

Rodrick Tai and Sylvester Namo also surpassed 100 metres, with Namo scoring a try early on in the second stanza.

Liam Horne also featured for PNG off the bench, and he was in action alongside new Castleford Tigers signing Judah Rimbu, who made the most tackles (38), and Warrington’s new recruit, Dan Russell.

Esan Marsters also featured for the Cook Islands once again, and managed to set up a try for his cousin Steven Marsters over in the corner.

Marsters and Macdonald may have been on opposites sides for their countries, but will link up at Salford Red Devils in 2025 where fans can look forward to some electrifying attack.

PNG are now just one win away from promotion to the top tier of the Pacific Championships for the 2025 tournament.

Both finals are set to take place next Sunday (10 November) and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports for viewers in the UK.