Half a century later, people still talk about it — the day the Tongan rugby team made history by beating the Wallabies in Brisbane.
It was the second test, played at Ballymore on June 30, 1973. Tonga beat Australia 16 points to 11 — a monumental victory that’s never been repeated.
Fa’aleo Tupi played in that legendary team. He would go on to play a pivotal role in bringing Polynesians to play rugby union in Australia.
In those days, there were no Pacific islanders in the Australian side.
Tupi, 72, was a colossus of a man in his playing days, standing 192 centimetres tall and weighing 120 kilograms.
He died on August 19 after a battle with illness and was laid to rest at the weekend in a traditional ceremony in Woodridge, south of Brisbane, attended by hundreds of people.
The casket of Fa’aleo Tupi is carried at his funeral at St Edwards Church in Daisy Hill.(ABC News: Steve Keen)
Sinitela Sarchet recalls her father talking about that famous game.
But she said it was a long time before she understood how much it meant to the Tongan people.
“He actually said that he was quite famous in Tonga,” she said.
“It wasn’t until we got into our teens that we understood how important he was and how important that Tongan team at the time was for that whole nation.”
Fa’aleo Tupi’s funeral was held at St Edwards Church.(ABC News: Steve Keen)
‘The whole club changed’
Three years after that match at Ballymore, Tupi moved to Australia on a working visa alongside Fatai Kefu, father of Wallaby veteran Tautai Kefu.
Both players were lured to the Souths Magpies in Brisbane, a team that was struggling at the time.
“At the end of the 1975 season we’d won one game and got mercilessly belted every week,” Souths Magpies Peter “Doubles” Daley remembered.
“Tom Feao, who was a Tongan hooker who played for us, said he could get his mates from Tonga.
“Three of them arrived next year, two of them test players, being Fa’aleo Tupi and Fatai Kefu.
“The morning they arrived, we were playing a trial game against Brothers — and they insisted on playing.
Fa’aleo Tupi played a pivotal role in bringing Polynesians to play rugby union in Australia.(Supplied: Cindi Sarchet)
“They hopped straight off the plane and we beat Brothers 7-4 that afternoon. The whole club changed after that day.”
Bob Hammond, a member of the Souths Magpies committee, played alongside Tupi and Kefu.
“I was a little hooker, so I had the big Tongan boys as my second rowers, so you felt sort of bulletproof against some of the sides out there,” Hammond said.
Fa’aleo Tupi was a prominent leader in the Tongan community.(ABC News: Steve Keen)
“Souths in those days, you’d almost call easy beats.
“They arrived and it almost had an immediate impact. We all of a sudden had this empowerment about us.
“Quickly we started making semi-finals and finals in A-grade.”
For Fa’aleo Tupi and his family, life changed dramatically.
“They didn’t speak any English, so there was a language barrier and I don’t think there was lot of other ethnic groups around that time in the 1970s,” Ms Sarchet said.
“Dad must have gone through a lot of struggles with a change of environment, the language barrier and also starting from nothing and not having anything here.”
Bill Hayden helped with permanent residency
Fa’aleo Tupi and Fatai Kefu were initially only meant to stay in Australia for three years, but Souths Magpies helped them navigate a path to permanent residency.
“The club president at the time Neil Betts — he had played prop for Australia,” Mr Daley said.
“Betsy had some real good contacts — Bill Hayden had played for the club.
“He was able to help Betsy navigate the way through the system.”
The former federal Labor Party leader who later became governor-general was, in those days, playing hooker for Souths Magpies.
Mr Daley said former senator Bert Milliner, whose son played for Souths, also helped in getting the Tongans permanent residency, which “opened the door for a lot of other players to come here and families.”
Fatai Kefu was a member of the 1973 Tonga team.
His son, Tautai Kefu, went on to play 60 Tests for the Wallabies and said his father and Fa’aleo Tupi remained friends throughout their lives.
“They were best mates,” he said.
“You can imagine three Tongan guys, no education, no money, no English and in, I suppose, white Australia back then — playing rugby, which was a predominantly private school sport.
“To do that was quite courageous and brave.
“My initial thoughts of him (Fa’aleo Tupi) is being such a big man back then, I mean he towered over everyone, six foot seven, really athletic, really big man with big hands.
“They all used to live together, just hanging around the house watching them socialise and drink and sing. Happy memories.”
‘They still talk about that team’
Tautai Kefu is now coach of the Tonga rugby union team, known as Ikale Tahi.
“They still talk about that team (1973 Tonga team) in Tonga now,” Tautai Kefu said.
Tautai Kefu says it was courageous for his father and Tupi to move to Australia in the 1970s.(ABC News: Michael Rennie)
“I coach the current Ikale Tahi team and I reference that team all the time about how tough they were back then, how hard they worked, for really nothing.
“They just played for the jersey and for their families. That team that beat the Wallabies were great pioneers and held Tongan rugby up.
“Pasifika players now nearly make up 50 per cent of a lot of the super rugby teams, rugby league teams, we’re even starting to have Tongan players representing England, Wales, all the home unions.
“We’re spreading far and wide.”
Source:: ABC News
