Ponga breaks arm after two-try debut as Kiwis fall 24-22 to Australia
Kalyn Ponga scored twice on his New Zealand debut and finished the night with a broken arm and a loss. The Kiwis confirmed on Friday that the 28-year-old fullback broke the radius in his left arm in Thursday's 24-22 Rugby League World Cup defeat to Australia in Sydney. According to 1News, he was booked in for surgery on Friday.
The Kiwis aren't ruling him out yet. "We'll see how that goes but, for now, he will remain in camp," team doctor Greg Macleod said, as reported by 1News. If Ponga is ruled out of the rest of the World Cup, the Kiwis can ask for clearance to add another player to the squad.
NZ Sportswire reported that the damage came when Ponga collided with Cameron Munster's head in a tackle. He played through the pain for the last 20 minutes before Keano Kini replaced him late in the match.
"He couldn't catch a ball or anything like that. He was in a bit of discomfort," coach Stacey Jones said. Jones added that Ponga "really wants to still be involved".
Captain James Fisher-Harris called him "a freakish player, but he's also one of those tough players."
Ponga and centre Dane Gagai, who also made his first Kiwis appearance, both played State of Origin for Queensland. Ponga got clearance earlier this year to switch his allegiance to New Zealand.
The Kiwis had the ball for most of the first half and still lost. It was 10-10 at halftime, with New Zealand holding 59% of possession and completing 80% of their sets, according to NZ Sportswire. According to 1News, two of Australia's five tries came from intercepts and another two from kicks.
Australian debutant wing Jack Bostock scored a hat-trick. Reece Walsh went the length of the field for a try, then Bostock got his third from a Munster kick to put Australia in front. The Kiwis trailed by two with three minutes left.
According to NZ Sportswire, New Zealand worked their way to Australia's 30-metre line, but Kini played the ball to nobody and the Kangaroos survived. The Kiwis had one more shot in the final seconds, but they couldn't gather Nikorima's kick ahead on halfway, and the game ended before they could set an attacking scrum in Australia's half.
Trbojevic scored Australia's other try, and Walsh kicked two conversions. Jamayne Isaako added three conversions and two penalties, and McLean scored New Zealand's third try.
Australia went down to 12 men when Katoni Staggs was sin-binned for blocking five-eighth Kodi Nikorima as he chased a Jahrome Hughes grubber. Referee Adam Gee didn't award a penalty try.
Mitch Moses went off with a calf injury seconds into the second half and Tom Dearden replaced him. Neither outlet said how bad Moses' injury is.
"Unfortunately, we were on the losing side, but we will learn from it and we will get better, and we will make some adjustments," Jones said.
The Kiwis are chasing their first World Cup title since 2008, and they don't have long to fix things. New Zealand play the Cook Islands in Christchurch on 25 October, with Australia meeting Fiji later that day. The Kiwis then finish their pool games against Fiji.
If Ponga misses the Cook Islands match, Jones said Kini would likely replace him.