Kalyn Ponga Inspires the Kiwis Past Tonga 34-10 and Into the World Cup Final, 23 Days After Breaking His Arm
Kalyn Ponga broke his arm on 15 October. On Saturday night he started at fullback for New Zealand, had a hand in four of their six tries and sent the Kiwis into their first World Cup final since 2013 with a 34-10 win over Tonga in Newcastle.
He was supposed to be eased back in. Stacey Jones first named him as a reserve, then on the bench, then put him in the starting 13 on the ground where he plays his NRL for the Knights.
How Ponga ran the game
It took him four minutes. Ponga attacked both sides of the ruck in New Zealand’s first set and then put Briton Nikora over in the right corner. Before half-time his chase forced Lehi Hopoate into a fumble under a Jahrome Hughes grubber, and Dane Gagai scored from it.
He did as much without the ball. When Demitric Vaimauga picked up a loose ball and sliced through, Ponga stopped him metres short with a one-on-one tackle, and later he stalled a Hopoate run before the offload could reach Isaiya Katoa with New Zealand only 12-10 up. BBC Sport credited him with three try assists and 193 metres, playing with black strapping over his left forearm.
“Where sports science is these days, I saw what he had in his arm, the rod or plate was covering his whole arm,” Jones said. “We didn’t know until after our second-to-last training that he was going to be all right. He ticked all the boxes. Just a tough person.”
Captain James Fisher-Harris went further. “He’s a freak of nature. His leadership skills are underrated,” he said. “The defensive mindset he had tonight, he saved a couple of tries.”
Tonga led, then the wind turned it
This was close for most of an hour. Jojo Fifita finished a long-range move for Tonga’s first try and then scored a second off a scrum, and Tonga led 10-6 after 32 minutes. Gagai’s try made it 12-10 to New Zealand at the break.
Then the weather took over. NRL.com put the gusts above 60km/h, and in the second half they were behind the Kiwis. Katoa’s kicking game, which had kept Tonga in it, stopped working, and kicks started sailing over Hopoate’s head. Casey McLean scored in the 48th minute, Hughes five minutes later, and it was 24-10. Xavier Willison went over in the 70th and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad finished an Erin Clark kick on the buzzer.
Jamayne Isaako kicked five from six into that wind. He has 36 goals from 38 attempts at this World Cup, BBC Sport reported.
| Team | Tries | Goals | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Nikora, Gagai, McLean, Hughes, Willison, Nicoll-Klokstad | Isaako 5 | 34 |
| Tonga | Fifita 2 | Katoa | 10 |
What it means for Tonga
Tonga were unbeaten through the pool stage, and this was only their second World Cup semi-final. Kristian Woolf did not blame the conditions. “It was a disappointing way to finish,” he said. “Whoever was against the wind in the second half was going to find it tough and we just had to handle it better.”
“Once upon a time, we were just happy to be in the finals and be competitive,” he added. “Now, we see ourselves as real players and believe we can win it.” It was also the end for Robert Toia, who missed the semi-final with a leg injury.
The Kiwis chase a second title in Brisbane
New Zealand play the winner of Sunday’s semi-final between Australia and Samoa at Suncorp Stadium on 15 November. Their only World Cup title came in 2008, and Fisher-Harris was asked if this was their best chance since. He paused, then said yes. “We’re just trying to chase history.”
Their one worry is prop Naufahu Whyte, who left early in the second half with an ankle problem and did not return, NRL.com reported. The full results are on our World Cup table, and the injury and return timeline is on our Kalyn Ponga page.
The Kangaroos face Samoa at Allianz Stadium tonight, with Latrell Mitchell on the bench.
