New Zealand Kiwis post-match press conference, Kalyn Ponga injury return, Stacey Jones, win over Tonga, news, videos, highlights

Kalyn Ponga was “adamant” he would return to the field after suffering a disastrous broken arm in the Kiwis’ World Cup opener.

The superstar No.1 spent 20 minutes on-field in New Zealand’s 24-22 loss to the Kangaroos with a broken radius in his left arm — but he had a clear message for his coach post-match.

“I’m playing, I will do everything I can” he said, according to Stacey Jones.

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And he was right.

It took only 23 days for Ponga to return to the field, delivering a monumental display that proved he was well and truly ready to go as the Kiwis dominated Tonga on Saturday night.

One effort stole the show, with prop Demetric Vaimaugu breaking through the New Zealand defensive line, with only Ponga to beat metres out from the try line.

The 28-year-old threw himself in harm’s way to make the tackle, showing no regard for his body as he brought the much larger enforcer down in a stunning showing of “courage”.

“That is courage. He’s done it all season, but that was probably his biggest task so far,” Trent Robinson said, while Andrew Voss added: “As brave as you’ll ever see. That is incredible”.

When quizzed on how Ponga was able to make such a miraculous return, Jones explained that it came down to an individual’s toughness and the Kiwis’ medical team.

“I just think the sports sciences these days, I saw what he had in his arm. The rod or the plate, it was covering nearly his whole arm,” Jones said in his post-match press conference.

“Jahrome Hughes had the similar injury a couple of years ago and he came back from it, so I think now where it’s at people can just recover from it.

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“And it’s also the individual, he’s a tough character.

“After the Australia game he was so adamant he was playing, he was ‘no, I’m playing, I’m playing, I will do everything I can’.

“But you don’t know. We didn’t know until after our second-to-last training he was going to be right and he ticked all the boxes. Just a tough, tough person.”

Ponga finished the night with 136 running metres, four line break assists and a hattrick of try assists in a fullback’s masterclass.

New Zealand skipper James Fisher-Harris echoed his coach’s opinion, highlighting his the “mindset” that makes the Knights gun so important to any team he plays for.

“Obviously a freak of a player, you just have to see the defensive mindset he had, saved a couple of tries there. That’s what I love about KP,” he said.

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“Obviously a freak of nature but I think his leadership skills are very underrated, especially with the Knights this year.

“He’s been really good for our spine especially and the whole squad.”

Elsewhere, Jamayne Isaako’s kicking off the tee was another highlight for the Kiwis, with the gun winger slotting five from six conversions despite the strong winds in Newcastle.

Jones was quizzed on whether Isaako was the best goal kicker he had ever seen, pitting him alongside the likes of Hazem El Masri and Darryl Halligan.

“Yeah, well I better be careful because Darryl Halligan is our kicking coach,” Jones joked.

“Look going up in sixes is huge, and they are not easy kicks too. Yeah, he is pretty lethal.”