Kiwis reap rewards of gamble on 'freak of nature' Ponga

ByElizabeth Botcherby

BBC Sport journalist

"He's a pugnacious quality and helium was truthful adamant helium was playing."

Kalyn Ponga, successful the words of his caput manager Stacey Jones, was ne'er going to miss New Zealand's Rugby League World Cup semi-final.

But it was a singular instrumentality to enactment for a subordinate whose tourney turned from imagination to nightmare conscionable implicit 3 weeks ago.

In the World Cup opener against Australia successful Sydney connected 15 October, Ponga seemed to beryllium enjoying a cleanable New Zealand debut. Then it each went wrong.

The 28-year-old scored 2 second-half tries but was forced disconnected precocious successful the crippled - having played for 20 minutes with a breached near forearm sustained successful a tackle with Cameron Munster. The Kiwis went connected to suffer 24-22; Ponga required surgery.

Just 23 days later, their talismanic full-back – initially named arsenic a reserve, and past connected the interchange seat – made a daze instrumentality to the starting 13 and delivered a starring show arsenic New Zealand overpowered Tonga 34-10 to scope their archetypal Men's Rugby League World Cup last for 13 years.

"Where sports subject is these days – I saw what helium had successful his arm, the rod oregon sheet was covering his full arm," Jones said.

"We didn't cognize until aft our second-to-last grooming that helium was going to beryllium each close – helium ticked each the boxes. Just a pugnacious person."

Playing with achromatic protective bandaging taped to his near forearm, Ponga was straight progressive successful 4 of New Zealand's six tries. His fancy footwork and slick handling mounting up scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison.

He mostly dominated the contention with other fig Lehi Hopoate, notably clearing retired the full-back arsenic helium fumbled a grubber footwear successful Tonga's in-goal country for New Zealand's 2nd try, scored by Dane Gagai.

In defence, a bruising try-saving artifact connected Demitric Vaimauga indicated nary origin for interest astir his wounded wing.

"Obviously a freak of a player," said Kiwis skipper James Fisher-Harris. "The antiaircraft mindset helium had tonight, helium saved a mates of tries. That's what I emotion astir KP.

"He's a freak of nature. His enactment skills are underrated. He's truly bully for us, our spine especially."

But portion it was undoubtedly the Ponga amusement astatine the location of his NRL broadside Newcastle Knights, New Zealand are not conscionable a one-man band.

Gagai sparked the counter-attack for McLean's effort by forcing a knock-on astir halfway. Jahrome Hughes added directness with his carries and erstwhile putting footwear to ball. Dead-eye kicker Jamayne Isaako mastered fierce winds to footwear 5 retired of six conversions, curling 2 implicit from the near touchline, to instrumentality his tally for the tourney to 36 from 38 attempts.

Asked if this was New Zealand's champion changeable astatine adding a 2nd rubric to their 2008 triumph, Fisher-Harris paused earlier replying: "Yes."

"We're conscionable trying to pursuit history," helium added. "We've lone done it erstwhile but we've been gathering with this squad, this generation, for the past six oregon 7 years."

For 48 minutes, New Zealand and Tonga played with the strength and fever of 2 sides seemingly locked connected people for the play of a golden-point extra-time finish.

Then the Kiwis' relentless unit told, with 2 tries successful 5 minutes extending their pb to 14 points and turning a contention into a procession.

The upwind successful Newcastle impacted the lucifer from kick-off but deteriorated dramatically successful the 2nd half, with Tonga toiling successful the look of howling upwind and rainfall – conditions champion encapsulated by a restart blowing backmost into their ain half.

But caput manager Kristian Woolf did not usage this an excuse for his side's decision by New Zealand, stating his squad "didn't grip the conditions arsenic good arsenic they did".

Unbeaten done the radical stage, Tonga lacked absorption successful attack, were blameworthy of mediocre decision-making astatine the extremity of sets, and looked susceptible defending a bouncing ball.

"It was a disappointing mode to finish. Whoever was against the upwind successful the 2nd fractional was going to find it pugnacious and we conscionable had to grip it better," said Woolf.

"It's a spot of a missed accidental with what the group's been capable to do, however talented the radical is, immoderate of the footy we've played, but we conscionable couldn't get it done tonight."

Putting the effect into perspective, with Tonga playing successful the semi-finals for conscionable the 2nd time, Woolf added: "Once upon a time, we were conscionable blessed to beryllium successful the finals and beryllium competitive. Now, we spot ourselves arsenic existent players and judge we tin triumph it.

"We thought we could bash that tonight. We surely deliberation we've got a squad that is susceptible of doing that. Tongan rugby league tin beryllium truly assured going forward."

The past clip New Zealand had teams successful some the men's and women's finals connected Australian soil, they walked distant with 2 trophies.

The twelvemonth was 2008. For the men, it was a maiden title; for the women, a 3rd consecutive crown. Neither broadside has lifted the trophy since then, losing a combined 4 finals. In Brisbane adjacent Sunday, a federation volition beryllium hoping past repeats itself.

New Zealand women maintained their 100% grounds of reaching the trophy lucifer with a controlled 32-0 triumph implicit Samoa, spearheaded by a hat-trick for dual-code planetary Stacey Waaka.

But though yet to suffer successful the tournament, and having conceded conscionable 24 points crossed 4 matches, New Zealand cognize they volition look a stiff situation from either three-time defending champions Australia oregon Fiji successful the final.

"The tourney has been astir building. How we started [an 18-12 triumph implicit Fiji] wasn't however we wanted to commencement – we got tested early, faced immoderate adversity and challenges which volition assistance america adjacent week," said skipper Georgia Hale.

"It's a situation we are bare for. The absorption volition beryllium truly internal, it's astir our pack, our threat, what we tin control, what we judge in. It volition beryllium a immense task but 1 we've been moving towards for 4 years."