Ponga and Gagai switch to the Kiwis as Jones gambles on one hooker

Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai have switched to New Zealand. The two Queensland Origin players are in the 23-man squad Kiwis coach Stacey Jones named on 6 October for the Rugby League World Cup.

Ponga has never played a Test. Gagai, 35, has played seven Tests for Australia, including the 2017 World Cup final win, and 23 Origins for Queensland. 1News reported that the IRL board approved his switch last week because of his heritage and because he had not played for the Kangaroos since 2018. He has Māori and Indigenous roots through his parents.

Ponga, the 2023 Dally M Medallist, pledged himself to New Zealand earlier this year after changes to Origin and international eligibility rules. He was born in Australia. When he was eight, his parents, who have Māori heritage, moved the family back to Palmerston North for five years. In that time he became New Zealand's under-13 golf champion.

"I think it is one thing to represent your club but another to represent a country and culture," Ponga said on the World Cup website. "It's special and I am still learning ... still on a journey."

The Kiwis have little time to settle. They open against Australia at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Thursday 15 October, nine days after the squad was named.

Warriors forwards Jacob Laban and Tanner Stowers-Smith could also debut. Both are 22. Laban has played 44 NRL games across three seasons and Stowers-Smith 34, mostly off the bench. Both played for the last Kiwis A side in 2023, and Stowers-Smith, from Christchurch, is the great-grandson of former Kiwis captain Pat Smith.

"They deserve to be there," Jones told NZ Sportswire. "Jakey was our Players' Player of the Year this year and Tanner, what he did coming off the bench."

The Herald called the hooker selection the biggest surprise. Jeremy Marshall-King is the only specialist in the squad, and he has played just three Tests since his 2022 debut.

Phoenix Crossland is suspended. His hip-drop tackle in Newcastle's preliminary final win over Penrith broke Nathan Cleary's ankle, which rules Cleary out of Australia's title defence. The ban keeps Crossland out until the semi-finals. Brandon Smith made himself unavailable. Jones also spoke to Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, but Egan could not commit to the tournament, the Herald reported.

Jones did not pick a replacement for Crossland, but he hasn't ruled him out either. "Phoenix is part of our next group down, so if we pick up any sort of injuries, he could become available after his suspension," he said.

According to the Herald, Kodi Nikorima, Te Maire Martin or possibly Erin Clark will have to cover dummy half in the pool games. It also suggested Ponga could play five-eighth so Keano Kini stays at fullback. Jones told the Herald the squad was close to his strongest, despite losing five-eighth Dylan Brown and centre Matt Timoko to injury.

Jahrome Hughes returns after injury kept him out of Test football. His last game for the Kiwis was the 2023 Pacific Championships final win over Australia. Jones sees an upside in Melbourne's early exit.

"This year, not making playoffs for Melbourne was probably a blessing for us, as Kiwis," he said. "We knew we would have a halfback that would be fresh."

James Fisher-Harris captains the side again after being named Dally M Captain of the Year and Prop of the Year. Naufahu Whyte, also named a Dally M Prop of the Year, joins straight from winning the premiership with the Roosters. Clark, a two-time Dally M Lock of the Year, is in the squad. Nikorima, who last played for the Kiwis in 2024, is back too.

The grand finals are at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 15 November.

Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry has picked seven uncapped players. They are led by former Black Ferns Sevens players Stacey Waaka and Tenika Willison, who won Olympic gold together in Tokyo in 2021. Waaka also won two Rugby World Cups with the Black Ferns before joining the Warriors. Newswire listed the other five uncapped players as Kaiyah Atai, Chantay Kiria-Ratu, Shannon Mato, Trinity Tauaneai and Zahara Temara.

Raecene McGregor of the Tigers and Georgia Hale of the Titans are co-captains.

"The depth of Kiwi talent we had to select from made this a tough decision, but we have absolute faith in these women we have named to pull on the jersey this year," Henry said.

The Ferns lost the last World Cup final to Australia 54-4 in 2022.