Arabic version: بونغا يتألق ويقود نيوزيلندا إلى نهائي كأس العالم
According to BBC News, Kalyn Ponga made a remarkable return from a broken left forearm to help New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 and reach their first Men’s Rugby League World Cup final for 13 years.
Ponga was injured in New Zealand’s opening 24-22 loss to Australia in Sydney on 15 October. The 28-year-old had scored two second-half tries on his New Zealand debut but played for 20 minutes with the broken forearm before being forced off and later undergoing surgery. Just 23 days later, he started the semi-final after initially being named as a reserve and then on the interchange bench.
Wearing black protective bandaging on his left forearm, Ponga was directly involved in four of New Zealand’s six tries. His footwork and handling helped create scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison, while he also made a try-saving block on Demitric Vaimauga. Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris called him “a freak of nature” and praised his defensive mindset and leadership.
New Zealand were also aided by Dane Gagai, Jahrome Hughes and Jamayne Isaako, who kicked five of six conversions in fierce winds to take his tournament tally to 36 successful attempts from 38. Tonga coach Kristian Woolf said his side did not handle the conditions as well as New Zealand, but said Tongan rugby league could be confident about the future.
New Zealand’s women also reached the final with a 32-0 win over Samoa, led by a hat-trick from dual-code international Stacey Waaka. Captain Georgia Hale said the side were hungry for the challenge ahead after maintaining their 100% record of reaching the trophy match.
