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Kalyn Ponga's father responds to All Blacks speculation following revelation of contract details
Kalyn Ponga’s father has downplayed speculation that his son is in line for a cross-code move to rugby union ahead of the 2023 World Cup after previously unknown details of the NRL star’s contract were revealed last week.
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Media reports uncovered that Ponga’s four-year deal with the Newcastle Knights has a player option that allows the 22-year-old the chance to back out of his current contract at the end of the 2022 season.
News of that clause renewed rumours that Ponga may have an eye on representing New Zealand at the next World Cup in France.
That gossip has been constant since Ponga revealed his ambitions to play for the All Blacks in an interview with TVNZ two years ago.
“That would be a huge goal, one that – if I was to come back to union – I’d want to tick, ” he said in 2018 of the prospect of potentially playing rugby union for New Zealand.
“I’m not too sure what my future holds, whether I’m going to stay in league or change codes, but if I was to go back to rugby union, I’d probably want to strive for that black jumper. It’s the pinnacle.”
However, his father Andre – who doubles as Ponga’s agent and manager – has moved to dampen suggestions that the former schoolboy star, who excelled across multiple sports including union during his youth, will make the move into the XV-man code.
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“That’s a quote that everyone takes off and that’s understandable,” Andre told 1 News of his son’s comments from that infamous interview.
“Because of that Kiwi heritage, realistically it will always be there and it will always be speculation.”
While fans and media watch on in anticipation to see whether the Knights playmaker will make a bid to play at France 2023 to be seen, his father said his son’s focus for the time being remains firmly on Newcastle’s NRL prospects.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1324498686127190017
“He come out and said in the announcement of the new agreement that his main focus is winning an [NRL] Premiership,” Andre Ponga said.
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“So if you look too far, you’ll miss out on what you’re trying to aim for at the moment.”
After making his NRL debut with the North Queensland Cowboys as a teenager in 2016, Ponga is yet to taste title-winning success in the competition.
He has, however, knocked back the chance to represent New Zealand in rugby league, instead pledging his allegiance with his birth nation Australia.
Ponga has subsequently won last year’s World Cup 9s while playing for Australia, and has played in three matches for Queensland across two State of Origin series between 2018 and 2019.
A shoulder injury has ruled the Maori All-Stars representative out of this year’s series, though, with Andre Ponga noting that his son’s recovery from the labral tear he sustained at the end of this season’s NRL is a priority.
“We’ve got to get him back on the park, got to get him playing good football again, and the Knights is the focus.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Pls get it into your thick arrogant heads that the final was played by two Southern Hemisphere teams. The best against the best and that Argentina was just unlucky otherwise non of the Northetn Hemisphere teams would have seen the light of day.
124 Go to commentsAs long as New Zealand youth are involved in sport they are passionate for, and are well supported, it’s all good. I love league as well as rugby. NRL clubs have long since scouted the First 15 competitions, the NH and Japan scout super rugby and NPC. It’s a miracle there’s any players left for the all blacks to pick from.
4 Go to commentsI'm a Bok fan, so I don't say this lightly, but he is one of my all time favourite players. I am really going to miss watching him play. Thanks for many great memories. You are a true legend of the game.
3 Go to commentsBest way to deal with all of this is to play another game.
124 Go to commentsIt’s 12-15 games Luke. Ringrose has barely played in 2024 and Henshaw and Keenan have also been out for spells in the same time period. There are always injuries and for younger players to play with the likes of Barrett will be great for them. It’s just looking for negatives where there are none.
5 Go to commentsAndy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
5 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
3 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
124 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
3 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
4 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
124 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
4 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to comments