Kalyn Ponga could play for the New Zealand Kiwis in Saturday night’s Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Tonga, just 23 days after breaking his arm, while suspended winger Ronaldo Mulitalo will watch from the stands.
Coach Stacey Jones has named Ponga at number 21 in a 22-man squad for the match at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, the fullback’s home ground in the NRL. Kick-off is 8.05pm local time, which is 10.05pm in New Zealand, according to the team announcement from New Zealand Rugby League. The winner plays in the final.
Ponga broke his left arm in the tournament opener against Australia in Sydney on 15 October, his Test debut for New Zealand. He played more than 20 minutes with the injury in the 24-22 loss to the Kangaroos and then had surgery. Gold Coast Titans fullback Keano Kini has worn the number 1 jersey in the two games since, and he keeps it on the team sheet for Newcastle.
Jones has not ruled Ponga in or out. He told reporters this week that Ponga still had “a few boxes to tick” but added, “Kalyn is looking pretty good,” 1News reported from AAP. Ponga trained strongly with the squad on Wednesday, but Jones has not said whether Ponga would start at fullback or come off the bench if he passes his final fitness checks.
The best guide to whether a quick return can work may be sitting next to Ponga in the Kiwis’ spine. Halfback Jahrome Hughes played for the Melbourne Storm only 22 days after breaking his own arm in 2025. “That gave me all the confidence in the world that a week later I’d be able to do my job on the field,” Hughes said. His advice to Ponga is simple. “(Ponga) has got to have confidence in his arm and feel right,” Hughes said.
Mulitalo is the one certain absence from the back line. The Cronulla Sharks winger was sent off in the 52nd minute of the 78-0 win over Fiji on the Gold Coast last Saturday for a high tackle on Ronald Philitoga, who did not return to the field. The NRL judiciary charged him with a grade 2 careless high tackle, and he accepted a one-match ban with an early guilty plea, PMN News reported. Fighting the charge and losing would have cost him two games, so he will be available for the final if New Zealand win. Fiji halfback Brandon Wakeham, who punched Mulitalo after the tackle, received the same one-game ban.
Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris summed up the team’s view of the incident. “It’s out of our hands,” he told 7Sport.
Jones has moved utility back Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to the left wing to cover Mulitalo. Jamayne Isaako, who set a Kiwis points record with 38 against the Cook Islands, stays on the right wing, with Dane Gagai and Casey McLean in the centres.
There is a second injury blow in the forwards. Young second rower Jacob Laban, 22, is out of the rest of the tournament after scans confirmed a lower leg injury. “It’s really disappointing for Jake and for us after the outstanding year he has had,” Jones said. Newcastle Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland has been called into the squad and joins Ponga on the extended bench.
The starting side is Keano Kini, Jamayne Isaako, Dane Gagai, Casey McLean, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Kodi Nikorima, Jahrome Hughes, James Fisher-Harris (captain), Jeremy Marshall-King, Moses Leota, Isaiah Papali’i, Briton Nikora and Joseph Tapine (vice-captain). The interchange is Te Maire Martin, Naufahu Whyte, Erin Clark and Xavier Willison, with Scott Sorensen, Leo Thompson, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Kalyn Ponga and Phoenix Crossland the reserves.
New Zealand reached the semi-finals the hard way. After the narrow loss to Australia they beat the Cook Islands 82-16 in Christchurch and then needed a win over Fiji to stay alive. They scored 13 tries in that game and conceded none.
Tonga arrive unbeaten. Kristian Woolf’s side went through pool play without a loss, finishing with a 20-18 win over Samoa in Sydney last Sunday, according to League Unlimited’s preview. Their pack is led by captain Jason Taumalolo and includes Addin Fonua-Blake, Stefano Utoikamanu and Haumole Olakau’atu, with Isaiya Katoa steering the side at halfback.
Tonga also have a former Kiwis captain on the wing. Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak led New Zealand five times in 13 Tests before switching allegiance, and he told 1News he wanted to play for Tonga while he still had something to give. “I didn’t want to go to Tonga when I was old and couldn’t really do anything,” he said. His family is split between the two teams. “It’s going to be a win-win for my family, no matter who wins the game,” he said.
The stakes are high for both nations. Tonga have never reached a World Cup final in any sport, and their 2019 win over the Kiwis was only the second time they had beaten New Zealand. The Kiwis last played in a Rugby League World Cup final in 2013.
The other men’s semi-final is Australia against Samoa on Sunday night. Earlier on Saturday the Kiwi Ferns play Samoa in the first women’s semi-final, starting at 5.45pm in Newcastle, or 7.45pm New Zealand time. Every Kiwis match, both semi-finals and the final are being shown in New Zealand on ThreeNow.
Should Stacey Jones risk Kalyn Ponga at fullback or stick with Keano Kini, who has kept the jersey through two wins? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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