A Tonga victory in Saturday's Newcastle semi-final could be one of the nation's greatest sporting results.
Tonga has never reached a World Cup final in any sport.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 31, hopes to help make history after switching from New Zealand to Tonga.
Born in Hamilton, he admired his great-grandfather Steve Watene, the first Māori man to captain the Kiwis.
Watene-Zelezniak earned 13 caps for New Zealand, five as captain, and wanted to represent Tonga for his grandmother and father.
He explained his timing by saying, "I didn't want to go to Tonga when I was old and couldn't really do anything,"
In 2019, he captained New Zealand in its loss to Tonga, the island nation's second win over the Kiwis.
His family will be divided for the semi-final, but Watene-Zelezniak said, "It's going to be a win-win for my family, no matter who wins the game."