Kalyn Ponga returns from broken forearm as New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 in World Cup semi in Newcastle
Kalyn Ponga returned from a broken left forearm to help New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 in their Rugby League World Cup semi-final in Newcastle on 7 November 2026, delivering a starring performance after being cleared to play just weeks after surgery. The 28-year-old, initially named among the reserves and later on the interchange bench, started and played a central role in the victory that sent the Kiwis into the men's final.
Ponga suffered the fracture in New Zealand's World Cup opener against Australia in Sydney on 15 October, when he scored two second-half tries but was forced off late; the Kiwis lost that match 24-22 and Ponga required surgery. Stacey Jones said of his full-back: "He's a tough character and he was so adamant he was playing." Jones added details of the recovery process and selection: "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."
Wearing black protective bandaging on his left forearm, Ponga was directly involved in four of New Zealand's six tries, using footwork and handling to set up scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison. He also cleared out Lehi Hopoate as the Tongan full-back fumbled a grubber in-goal, leading to Dane Gagai's try, and executed a try-saving block on Demitric Vaimauga in defence.
Other New Zealand contributors included Gagai, who sparked the counter-attack that led to McLean's score, and Jahrome Hughes, who added direct carries and kicking. Jamayne Isaako converted five of six attempts, including two from the left touchline, taking his tournament total to 36 from 38 attempts.
The contest was tight for 48 minutes before New Zealand scored two tries in five minutes to open a 14-point lead, after which Tonga struggled as conditions deteriorated. The weather in Newcastle worsened in the second half with strong wind and rain; Tonga coach Kristian Woolf said his side "didn't handle the conditions as well as they did" and called the loss "a disappointing way to finish," adding: "Whoever was against the wind in the second half was going to find it tough and we just had to handle it better." Woolf reflected on expectations and the side's prospects: "It's a bit of a missed opportunity with what the group's been able to do, how talented the group is, some of the footy we've played, but we just couldn't get it done tonight." He added: "Once upon a time, we were just happy to be in the finals and be competitive. Now, we see ourselves as real players and believe we can win it. "We thought we could do that tonight. We certainly think we've got a team that is capable of doing that. Tongan rugby league can be really confident going forward."
New Zealand's captain James Fisher-Harris praised Ponga's impact, saying: "Obviously a freak of a player," and adding: "The defensive mindset he had tonight, he saved a couple of tries. That's what I love about KP. "He's a freak of nature. His leadership skills are underrated. He's really good for us, our spine especially." The victory sent the Kiwis into their first Men's Rugby League World Cup final for 13 years.
The New Zealand women also advanced to the final, beating Samoa 32-0 in Brisbane-venue qualifying action led by Stacey Waaka's hat-trick; Waaka has scored nine tries in four matches at this World Cup. Captain Georgia Hale said: "The tournament has been around building. How we started [an 18-12 win over Fiji] wasn't how we wanted to start – we got tested early, faced some adversity and challenges which will help us next week," and added: "It's a challenge we are hungry for. The focus will be really internal, it's around our pack, our threat, what we can control, what we believe in. It will be a huge task but one we've been working towards for four years."
Both New Zealand sides will contest finals in Brisbane next Sunday, with the men's team appearing in a World Cup final for the first time since 2013 and the women's side maintaining their unbeaten run into the trophy match; the last occasion New Zealand had teams in both Australian-based finals they won two titles in 2008.