New Zealand Rugby League is eager to bring Newcastle Knights superstar Kalyn Ponga into the Kiwis fold, but the sport’s murky eligibility rules remain a significant hurdle.
Last weekend, Kiwis coach Stacey Jones told Australian media he was interested in recruiting Ponga, hoping the Newcastle fullback would turn his back on the Kangaroos and instead represent the Kiwis at test level.
Despite being born in Australia, Ponga is of Kiwi heritage through both of his parents. Ponga lived in New Zealand for five years before returning to Australia, and his father – and manager – Andre Ponga is Māori.
At representative level, while he’s never played for the Kangaroos, Ponga has represented Australia at Nines level, as well as Queensland in State of Origin. On top of that, though, Ponga has also represented the Māori All Stars three times.
Last year, when approached by Australia coach Mal Meninga, Ponga made himself unavailable for the Kangaroos, before changing his mind – only to be overlooked for the Pacific Championships.
Yet while it was hoped that could open the door for a switch to New Zealand, the current International Rugby League eligibility rules prevent players from switching from one Tier One nation to another.
However, given the current rules do not mention State of Origin, Ponga’s situation becomes murky, regardless of who he wants to play for.
Regardless, NZ Rugby League chief executive Greg Peters makes it clear that the Kiwis will always accommodate Ponga, as and when he decides where his international future lies.
“That’s not the first time we’ve approached Kalyn,” he told the Herald. “Michael Maguire spoke to him a couple of years back.
“At that time, what Kalyn was saying was if he could still play Origin and play for the Kiwis, he’d front up for us.
“As it currently stands, that’s not possible. To my understanding. Stacey has expressed a willingness or desire to speak to Kalyn, if he’s keen to play for the Kiwis.
“But at this stage, until the State of Origin issue is resolved, it’ll be the same answer.
“We’re still very keen, if he continues to play the way he has been, to see him in a Kiwis jumper.”
Peters is also confident New Zealand Rugby League could find a solution to Ponga’s eligibility, given he has represented Australia in Nines.
His switch wouldn’t be the first time the Kiwis gained a player from an eligibility change either.
In 2022, Warriors second-rower Marata Niukore was able to change his allegiance from the Cook Islands to New Zealand for the Rugby League World Cup. Niukore should have been tied to the Cook Islands, after playing a World Cup qualifier in 2019, but the rule changes in 2020 allowed him to switch to New Zealand.
On the whole, though, the Kiwis do ultimately get the short end of the stick with State of Origin.
At present, only Australians or players from Tier Two nations can represent Queensland or New South Wales.
Despite their success on the world stage, separately reaching the last two World Cup finals, Samoa and Tonga – as well as Fiji – are classed as Tier Two nations, due to their administrative set-ups at domestic level.
However, given the Pasifika populations in New Zealand and Australia, few players come through pathways in their homelands.
In last year’s series, New South Wales fielded the likes of Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton, Joseph Sua’ali’i, Brian To’o and Spencer Leniu, while Jaydn Su’a and Jeremiah Nanai played for Queensland – all of whom represent Samoa at test level.
Contrary to its billing, State of Origin selection comes down to where a player’s first junior club is located and played for before their 13th birthday, as opposed to where they were born.
Theoretically, Melbourne Storm and Kiwis halfback Jahrome Hughes could represent Queensland, while Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo came close to a Maroons debut in 2021, before his eligibility was questioned at the last minute.
On the other side of the equation, though, Palmerston North-born James Tamou opted to represent Australia over New Zealand on residency grounds, in order to play for New South Wales.
New Zealand-born Felise Kaufusi is currently a Queensland regular, despite also being a staple of Mate Ma’a Tonga.
Financially, it’s in a player’s interest to play State of Origin over representing New Zealand, given the five-figure match payments attached to turning out for Queensland and New South Wales.
What’s more, given the scarcity of fixtures for the Kiwis at test level, there is little incentive other than pride as to why a player would pick playing for New Zealand over Australia.
Last year, New Zealand Rugby League tried to mitigate losses of players who are Australian-born to Kiwi parents, or who relocate across the Tasman at an early age.
Former Kiwis captain Nathan Cayless and coach Stephen Kearney led a three-day camp on the Gold Coast, known as the Taurahere programme, to show young players the value in playing for New Zealand over Australia.
Ultimately, though, only time will tell how effective a deterrent against State of Origin it proves to be.
Cayless, who led New Zealand’s 2008 World Cup victory, wants to see eligibility rules relaxed to allow Kiwis to represent their state and their heritage.
Peters is no different.
“The problem with the State of Origin rules is that they effectively discriminate against New Zealand-eligible players, which we don’t think is fair,” he explained.
“We can’t see why if you, for all other purposes, satisfy State of Origin eligibility rules then your nationality shouldn’t prohibit you from playing Origin and playing for your country of choice – including New Zealand and England.
“At the international level, we get a very limited window. We don’t get an opportunity to create a high-performance programme around our Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns.
“It’s a three-week window at the end of the year. Australia, Samoa and Tonga, in contrast, have a six-week State of Origin window, where they’re in camp and playing at a higher level. That develops players to an extent we can’t.
“The other thing is, if you are Samoan and Tongan and opt to play State of Origin, that’s an incentive to not play for the Kiwis. There’s a monetary incentive that’s not open to Kiwi players.”
At administrative level, New Zealand Rugby League continue to push for changes to the current rules, but there is little indication as to whether or not the NRL will look to implement a solution that would benefit the Kiwis.
Should those rules change, a whole new pathway would open for potential players to be picked for the Kiwis.
“There aren’t a lot of these players that are eligible to play Origin that could play for the Kiwis,” said Peters.
“Another example, who we haven’t spoken to, might be Jarome Luai. He may have elected to play for the Kiwis, if he could still play Origin. But he can play for Samoa.
“He may not have, we haven’t approached him on that basis, and never would because he’s declared his desire to play for his home country.
“We support that, but it’s an example of where it could be different.”
Luai captained the Junior Kiwis, but ultimately chose to represent his Samoan heritage, with the added bonus of playing for New South Wales, where he has ultimately made the No 6 jersey his own.
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
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