Kalyn Ponga helped Newcastle Knights reach October's NRL Grand Final
"He's a tough character and he was so adamant he was playing."
Kalyn Ponga, in the words of his head coach Stacey Jones, was never going to miss New Zealand's Rugby League World Cup semi-final.
But it was a remarkable return to action for a player whose tournament turned from dream to nightmare just over three weeks ago.
In the World Cup opener against Australia in Sydney on 15 October, Ponga seemed to be enjoying a perfect New Zealand debut. Then it all went wrong.
The 28-year-old scored two second-half tries but was forced off late in the game - having played for 20 minutes with a broken left forearm sustained in a tackle with Cameron Munster. The Kiwis went on to lose 24-22; Ponga required surgery.
Just 23 days later, their talismanic full-back – initially named as a reserve, and then on the interchange bench – made a shock return to the starting 13 and delivered a starring performance as New Zealand overpowered Tonga 34-10 to reach their first Men's Rugby League World Cup final for 13 years.
"Where sports science is these days – I saw what he had in his arm, the rod or plate was covering his whole arm," Jones said.
"We didn't know until after our second-to-last training that he was going to be all right – he ticked all the boxes. Just a tough person."
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Playing with black protective bandaging taped to his left forearm, Ponga was directly involved in four of New Zealand's six tries. His fancy footwork and slick handling setting up scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison.
He largely dominated the contest with opposite number Lehi Hopoate, notably clearing out the full-back as he fumbled a grubber kick in Tonga's in-goal area for New Zealand's second try, scored by Dane Gagai.
In defence, a bruising try-saving block on Demitric Vaimauga indicated no cause for concern about his wounded wing.
"Obviously a freak of a player," said Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris. "The defensive mindset he had tonight, he saved a couple of tries. That's what I love about KP.
"He's a freak of nature. His leadership skills are underrated. He's really good for us, our spine especially."
But while it was undoubtedly the Ponga show at the home of his NRL side Newcastle Knights, New Zealand are not just a one-man band.
Gagai sparked the counter-attack for McLean's try by forcing a knock-on around halfway. Jahrome Hughes added directness with his carries and when putting boot to ball. Dead-eye kicker Jamayne Isaako mastered fierce winds to kick five out of six conversions, curling two over from the left touchline, to take his tally for the tournament to 36 from 38 attempts.
Asked if this was New Zealand's best shot at adding a second title to their 2008 triumph, Fisher-Harris paused before replying: "Yes."
"We're just trying to chase history," he added. "We've only done it once but we've been building with this squad, this generation, for the past six or seven years."
For 48 minutes, New Zealand and Tonga played with the intensity and fever of two sides seemingly locked on course for the drama of a golden-point extra-time finish.
Then the Kiwis' relentless pressure told, with two tries in five minutes extending their lead to 14 points and turning a contest into a procession.
The weather in Newcastle impacted the match from kick-off but deteriorated dramatically in the second half, with Tonga toiling in the face of howling wind and rain – conditions best encapsulated by a restart blowing back into their own half.
But head coach Kristian Woolf did not use this an excuse for his side's defeat by New Zealand, stating his team "didn't handle the conditions as well as they did".
Unbeaten through the group stage, Tonga lacked direction in attack, were guilty of poor decision-making at the end of sets, and looked vulnerable defending a bouncing ball.
"It was a disappointing way to finish. Whoever was against the wind in the second half was going to find it tough and we just had to handle it better," said Woolf.
"It's a bit of a missed opportunity with what the group's been able to do, how talented the group is, some of the footy we've played, but we just couldn't get it done tonight."
Putting the result into perspective, with Tonga playing in the semi-finals for just the second time, Woolf added: "Once upon a time, we were just happy to be in the finals and be competitive. Now, we see ourselves as real players and believe we can win it.
"We thought we could do that tonight. We certainly think we've got a team that is capable of doing that. Tongan rugby league can be really confident going forward."
Waaka has scored nine tries in four matches at this World Cup
The last time New Zealand had teams in both the men's and women's finals on Australian soil, they walked away with two trophies.
The year was 2008. For the men, it was a maiden title; for the women, a third consecutive crown. Neither side has lifted the trophy since then, losing a combined four finals. In Brisbane next Sunday, a nation will be hoping history repeats itself.
New Zealand women maintained their 100% record of reaching the trophy match with a controlled 32-0 win over Samoa, spearheaded by a hat-trick for dual-code international Stacey Waaka.
But although yet to lose in the tournament, and having conceded just 24 points across four matches, New Zealand know they will face a stiff challenge from either three-time defending champions Australia or Fiji in the final.
"The tournament has been around building. How we started [an 18-12 win over Fiji] wasn't how we wanted to start – we got tested early, faced some adversity and challenges which will help us next week," said captain Georgia Hale.
"It's a challenge we are hungry for. The focus will be really internal, it's around our pack, our threat, what we can control, what we believe in. It will be a huge task but one we've been working towards for four years."
