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Why Kalyn Ponga turned down chance to be an All Black for NRL stardom
He’s one of the brightest young talents in rugby league, but Kalyn Ponga’s career as professional athlete could have taken a very different path had the opportunity for a career in rugby union presented itself earlier.
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The 21-year-old Newcastle Knights fullback was a star in both codes as a teenager at Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane, which led professional clubs from three different leagues to chase his signature upon his departure from secondary school.
In the end, it was the NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys who won the race ahead of league rivals the Brisbane Broncos, Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm, Super Rugby’s Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Lions of the AFL.
A transfer to the Knights in 2018 has seen Ponga’s development evolve to the point where he is now a leading figure within both the Queensland State of Origin and Maori All-Stars squads, meaning a debut Kangaroos call-up must not be too far away.
His rapid rise in league, though, illustrates an opportunity lost for union, particularly Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby, both of which are nations of which he is eligible to represent in the XV-man code.
Ponga has previously spoken of his desire to represent the All Blacks, as the Western Australia-born playmaker has a Kiwi father, Andre, of Maori descent and spent five years in Palmerston North as a child.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika also approached the Dally M Medal contender about the possibility of moving back to union once his deal with Newcastle expires at the end of 2021.
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While the Bledisloe Cup rivals would dearly love to have the once-in-a-generation talent in their ranks, Ponga revealed that league was his only genuine career option in an interview on Fox Sports’ Sunday Night with Matty Johns show over the weekend.
“I was given the opportunity to go to league and just took it straight away,” he said.
“I just saw more opportunity in rugby league.”
Asked if he was presented the same avenue to pursue a career in rugby union at the same time that he was offered a career in league, Ponga replied: “For me there wasn’t much of one, no.”
With another two-and-a-half seasons still to play at McDonald Jones Stadium with the Knights, it will be quite some time before either the All Blacks or Wallabies are able to make a play for the prodigiously skilled youngster.
In saying that, once his contract expires at the end of the 2021 NRL season, there will be no shortage of avenues to take his talents to union, should both New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia remain keen on one of the hottest properties in the 13-man code.
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Comments on RugbyPass
What ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
128 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
128 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
128 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
128 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
128 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
128 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
128 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
128 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
128 Go to commentsHo hum.
128 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
128 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
128 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
128 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
128 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
128 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
128 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
128 Go to comments