New Zealand are through to the Rugby League World Cup final for the first time since 2013 after a clinical second-half performance carried them to a 34-10 win over Tonga in the semi-final at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday.
The Kiwis will head to Brisbane next Sunday to face the winners of the second semi-final between reigning champions Australia and Samoa, which is played in Sydney on Sunday. It will be New Zealand's fifth appearance in a World Cup final, and their first since they lost the 2013 decider, with the Kiwis still chasing a second title after their triumph as world champions in 2008.
The story of the night belonged to fullback Kalyn Ponga, who returned to the side only three weeks after fracturing his left forearm in the tournament opener against Australia. Ponga gave New Zealand the perfect start in the third minute, digging into the defensive line and releasing second-rower Briton Nikora to open the scoring.
Tonga refused to be overawed and hit back with two tries from winger Jojo Fifita, the first a brilliant length-of-the-field effort that the winger started and finished himself. When Fifita crossed for the second time just after the half-hour mark, Tonga led 10-6 and the defending champions of the Pacific looked in serious trouble.
New Zealand found a way back before the break. Halfback Jahrome Hughes had two attempts at a fifth-tackle kick in the 36th minute, and Tonga fullback Lehi Hopoate was unable to deal with the second, allowing centre Dane Gagai to level the scores. Jamayne Isaako added the conversion, the second of his five successful place-kicks on the night, to give the Kiwis the lead at half-time.
The match turned decisively during the break, when a strong wind and heavy rain swept over the ground. New Zealand had the wind at their backs in the second half, with gusts of more than 60 kilometres per hour, and they used it ruthlessly. Tries from Casey McLean and Hughes within five minutes of the resumption blew the lead out to 24-10, and Tonga never found a way back into the contest.
Forward Xavier Willison came off the interchange bench to score New Zealand's fifth try 11 minutes from time, and winger Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad put the gloss on the scoreline with a try just before the final hooter, finishing off an Erin Clark cross-field kick.
Ponga, who had been determined to return before the end of the tournament, said the side's mentality had carried them through the difficult first half. "I was always determined to come back," he said. "That first half was obviously tough and then the wind obviously helped us in the second half. But I think our mentality also, we knew that if we did enough in the second half we'd get some rewards, and we did."
Tonga halfback Isaiya Katoa refused to blame the dramatic change in the weather at half-time for his team's defeat, preferring instead to pay tribute to the way his country's passionate fans had lit up the tournament. "I don't think these fans understand how much the support means to us, the way that they rally around us through thick and thin," he said. "I want to say thank you to everyone, the whole Tongan community all around the world. We do it for you guys."
The defeat ends Tonga's second appearance in a World Cup semi-final, nine years after they were losing semi-finalists in 2017. New Zealand's only injury concern going into the final is an ankle problem for prop Naufahu Whyte, who left the contest early in the second half and did not return. The Kiwis now have a week to prepare for a final in Brisbane, where they will face either the reigning champions or a Samoan side chasing its own piece of history.
