Kalyn Ponga to undergo surgery after breaking arm in Rugby League World Cup opener
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New Zealand full-back Kalyn Ponga could miss the rest of the Rugby League World Cup after breaking his arm in his side’s defeat to Australia.
Ponga scored a spectacular try in the tournament opener in Sydney but was later forced off in real discomfort having managed significant pain through much of the second half.
The 28-year-old appeared to suffer the injury in a collision with Kangaroos stand-off Cameron Munster, and it has now been confirmed that he is set for surgery.
The Kiwis have not definitively ruled their star out of the tournament, but Ponga faces a race to be fit for any action with the World Cup final on 15 October.
“We wish Kalyn all the best with his surgery today,” New Zealand team doctor Greg Macleod said on Friday.
“We’ll see how that goes but for now he will remain in camp.”
New Zealand face the Cook Islands in their next Pool A outing in a game held on home soil at Christchurch’s new Te Kaha Stadium.
They then take on Fiji on the Gold Coast and are still strongly placed to progress, with the top two finishers in the group going through to the semi-finals.
