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Worrying scenes unfolded during New Zealand's 40-14 Pacific Cup victory against Tonga at Eden Park on Sunday, as Eliesa Katoa was rushed to hospital after falling ill on the sidelines, following a series of head knocks.
The Kiwis won on the back of a dominant pack and scintillating displays by fullback Keano Kini and five-eighth Dylan Brown.
Tonga needed to win by 18 points on Sunday to qualify for the final in Sydney on November 9, but were never in the hunt.
Katoa was in the wars during the match, leaving the field for two HIAs during play after suffering a head knock in the warm-up.
Coach Kristian Woolf said he did not require a concussion test after hitting the turf before the match following a collision with fullback Lehi Hopoate.
'My job is not to question doctors,' Woolf said.
Tonga star Eliesa Katoa (right) left the field for two HIAs during play after suffering a head knock in the warm-up
'They were both comfortable with that and comfortable with him coming on to the field.'
Worrying scenes unfolded at Eden Park as several of Katoa's team-mates along with doctors and support staff were seen assisting him on the sidelines. Katoa had been sat on the bench for 15 minutes before falling ill.
He was fitted with an oxygen mask before a medicab took him away from the bench area during the second-half.
Katoa was taken to hospital with concussion symptoms.
'He has gone to hospital after he wasn't too great on the sideline. I don't know the full details but the doctors have gone with him,' Woolf said.
'I have been told he was improving before he went to hospital.'
Woolf said Katoa passed his first HIA during the match. He was on the sideline after his second concussion.
The Tonga coach defended the handling of the situation.
'My job isn't to question doctors. They were both comfortable with him coming back onto the field, so I don't think there's anything there in terms of worrying about the process.
'Unfortunately I think he's copped a second hit that was quite heavy and there's been a poor result out of that.
'He had two HIA's in the game. He passed his HIA from the first one, then the second one he doesn't go back on anyway.
'By all reports he was fine when he came back off, but he deteriorated after that.
'Everything has been done by the book.'
The Kiwis had lost centre Sebastian Kris and prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona, both to calf issues, during the week. New Zealand coach Stacey Jones said both had been ruled out of the final against Samoa.
Kini only played six NRL games for Gold Coast in 2025 because of a neck injury.
His late insertion at fullback was a masterstroke after Jones had made a late switch of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to centre.
The 21-year-old Kini razzled and dazzled from the outset, his electric feet too hot for Tonga to handle.
'He was class. He did that for us last year,' Jones said.
'It was a really good game from the boys right from the start, and that is where we wanted to get it right.'
Kini started and finished an 85-metre raid in combination with Casey McLean to open the scoring.
The hosts started to dominate through the middle, with Joseph Tapine, James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota immense.
Brown, so effective when he runs the ball, pinned the ears back from close range to make it 12-0.
He finished a length-of-the-field movement with a cross-field kick for the athletic McLean to leap high and score his seventh try from just three Tests.
Second-rower Briton Nikora was lethal on the right edge and centre Matt Timoko made it 24-2 at halftime.
On the cusp of the break, Kiwi forward Erin Clark was sin-binned.
Tonga crossed for their first try through forward Demitric Vaimauga after dynamism from bench hooker Soni Luke.
Their joy was short-lived, with Brown setting up Nicoll-Klokstad for a try.
Brown made it a double to showcase his outstanding Pacific Cup form as the floodgates opened.
The Kiwis received powerhouse performances from their bench forwards Xavier Willison, Naufahu Whyte and Clark.
Tonga missed tackles, dropped the ball and were a major disappointment in the Pacific Cup after losing 34-6 to Samoa the previous week.
The return of lock and co-captain Jason Taumalolo from a knee injury did give Tonga more oomph up front, but the side has plenty of work ahead if they are to figure at next year's World Cup.
