Ponga and Walsh to lead New Zealand and Australia into Rugby League World Cup finals in Brisbane
Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh will lead New Zealand and Australia into the Rugby League World Cup men's final in Brisbane on Sunday, with the women's final between the Kiwi Ferns and the Jillaroos set to follow the same day.
This tournament has featured new formats, fresh stories, rising nations and, unusually, a financial profit, yet the concluding matches bring a familiar rivalry back into focus; Australia and New Zealand will contest a men’s final for the first time since 2013. England attempted and failed to unseat the Kangaroos in 2017, while Samoa were beaten finalists four years ago, and the two sides first met in a classic on the opening night a month ago when Australia edged New Zealand 24-22.
Australia enter as defending champions and have produced a mix of dominant and nervy displays, winning their opener and following with victories over Fiji, the Cook Islands and Samoa in the semi-finals. The Kangaroos have faced public scrutiny over their forward pack and prop Keaon Koloamatangi addressed that this week: “There’s no secret that people have been saying we’re the weakest forward pack in the competition. It’s easy for them to say they won the battle back then but we’ve changed since then. I think a lot of people probably have disrespected us and overshadowed the fact that we did win that first game, and that’s OK.”
New Zealand's campaign has been shaped around the return of Kalyn Ponga after he suffered a broken forearm in the opening Test; he came back 23 days later to help the Kiwis beat Tonga. Ponga’s performances earned him the Golden Boot this week and he framed his rivalry with Walsh simply: “It’s always all love off the field and then when we get on the field, we aren’t friends.”
At full-back, Walsh — the Brisbane Broncos number one — has been a recurrent match-winner for Australia and played a key role in the opening victory over New Zealand. If the Kiwis are to end Australia’s hold on the title, the match report identifies Ponga as their principal attacking threat, setting up a head-to-head that could determine the outcome.
The women's final will again feature Australia and New Zealand, the fifth successive time the Jillaroos and the Kiwi Ferns have met in the decider, with Australia pursuing a fourth straight win in the final. New Zealand's 32-0 semi-final victory over Samoa last weekend was cited as evidence of change since they were beaten 54-4 in England four years ago.
The men's final is scheduled for Sunday in Brisbane, followed by the women's final between the Jillaroos and the Kiwi Ferns, with the next World Cup already mapped for the United States and the Pacific in 2030.