Panda and Jules: All Blacks happy to poach Kalyn Ponga from NRL
THE All Blacks run their eye on Kalyn Ponga, Super Rugby contract setbacks, political shenanigans and a Frank exchange. Get all your rugby gossip right here.
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THE All Blacks’ contracting manager says they’ll happily open negotiations with NRL superstar Kalyn Ponga in 2021 if he wants to join one of New Zealand’s five Super Rugby teams.
After All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said they’d “definitely” be interested in the Queensland State of Origin star, Rugby Confidential queried with New Zealand Rugby how the process of luring Ponga could work.
Their head of professional rugby, Chris Lendrum, told us: “We are always interested in players of quality who want to ply their trade in New Zealand Rugby.
“They need to be prepared to commit to domestic teams and fight it out on their merits against the top talent developing here already. But we’re open to a discussion with anyone who has a serious interest.”
This paves the way for Ponga to do what Sonny Bill Williams, Ngani Laumape and Brad Thorn have done; make the switch from the NRL into the All Blacks.
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The Newcastle Knights game-breaker this week expressed an interest in trying to become an All Black once his contract expires at the end of 2021 – which would give him two years before the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
“You’ve got to be aware of him, he’s a special player,’ Hansen said.
“I quite like watching league, I’ve got a son that plays it and therefore am interested in it.
“He’s had a super Origin, he’s a Kiwi boy and he’s just come out and said maybe one day he might want to come and play rugby.
“If that’s his choice, when he makes that choice, then of course whoever is around at that time would definitely be interested because he’s a talented athlete.”
Hansen is contracted until the end of the 2019 World Cup, although some have speculated he could extend if the All Blacks win for a third consecutive time.
But even if there is a coaching change, there is no doubt the Kiwis will monitor Ponga, whose dazzling introduction to the NRL and Origin scene has him marked as league’s next great superstar.
Ponga said this week he’d grown up dreaming of wearing the famous black jersey and would love to become an All Black.
“Obviously that would be a huge goal, if I was to come back to union,” Ponga told TVNZ.
“I’m not too sure what my future is going to hold and whether I’m going to stay in league or change codes, but if I was to go back to union, I would want to strive for that black jumper.
“I think it’s the pinnacle. They are the best sporting organisation in the world, the stats have showed that.
“I’ve got three years with my contract with the Knights and I’ve got some things I want to achieve in that time.
“I don’t know what is going to happen at the end of that, but playing at the pinnacle is the goal.”
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AUSTRALIA’S hopes of luring back Sean McMahon have taken a major hit with the backrower poised to sign for the Sunwolves for the 2019 Super Rugby season.
McMahon has played 26 Tests and does not qualify for the Wallabies under the Giteau Law.
He’d have to sign with an Australian Super Rugby franchise for the 2019 season to be eligible for the World Cup as the rules currently stipulate.
McMahon, who plays for Suntory in the Japanese Top League, was rumoured to be considering a move to the Queensland Reds but has now decided to join the Sunwolves.
It is a blow for the Wallabies and Reds, who had also hoped to lure Israel Folau from NSW.
Early indications were that Folau had agreed to join Queensland but now has decided to remain at the Waratahs.
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THE political chaos in Australia likely means the Wallabies won’t be receiving any good luck messages from the Prime Minister – whoever that turns out to be.
It is common for the PM to send a message to the Wallabies, as Malcolm Turnbull did to captain Michael Hooper before last weekend’s Test against the All Blacks in Sydney.
But nobody in camp is holding their breath for another message this week as they prepare to become the first Wallabies team in 32 years to beat New Zealand at Eden Park given the ludicrous Liberal Party leadership spill.
Maybe if the Wallabies pull off one of the great upsets, the new PM can march around Canberra on Monday morning in a gold tracksuit.
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BEING a prop ain’t what it used to be.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen revealed that 117kg front rower Owen Franks, who plays his 100th Test on Saturday, is so fastidious about his diet he made his wife bring a protein shake to their wedding.
“Not many people would go to their wedding and get their wife to have a protein shake in her pocket,” Hansen said.
“He’s a dedicated athlete, he and his brother [Ben] set some massive standards on how to prepare and what lengths they would go to, to make sure they turned up on Saturday in the best condition they can.”
Franks confirmed this was true, saying he didn’t want to be “hangry” on his big day.
“I wasn’t sure the catering were going to have enough food so I pre-packaged the protein shake just to make sure I wasn’t going to go get ‘hangry’ during the speeches,” Franks said.
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THE 2018 Australian Schoolboys team has been named for October’s series against New Zealand and Tonga.
They’ll play at St Joseph’s College on October 1, then at Ballymore on October 6.
The squad is: Daniel Ala (NSW II, St Augustine’s College), Angus Bell (NSW I, Newington College), Angus Bell (NSW II, St Ignatius College), John Connolly (NSW I, The Kings School), Apinesa Driti (ACT, Gungahlin College), Donny Freeman (NSW I, Kinross Wolaroi School), Carter Gordon (QLD I, Brisbane Boys College), Will Harris (NSW I, The Scots College), Zane Hogan (ACT, St Edmund’s College), Lachlan Ilias (NSW I, Trinity Grammar School), Spencer Jeans (QLD I, The Southport School), Brendan Jimenez (ACT, St Edmund’s College) Tyrell Kopua (QLD I, The Southport School), Thomas Lambert (NSW I, Trinity Grammar School), Luca Moretti (NSW I, Waverly College), Reesjan Pasitoa (NSW I, St Joseph’s College, Nudgee), Billy Pollard (NSW I, Barker College), Luke Reimer (NSW I, Barker College), Seb Strang (NSW I, The Scot’s College), Bailey Tautau (QLD I, St Joseph’s College, Nudgee), Tom van der Schyff (QLD I, The Southport School), Joey Walton (NSW I, Wadalba High School), Jeremy Williams (NSW I, The Scot’s College).
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GEORGE Gregan returned to his country of birth, Zambia, to help poverty-stricken children from a local rugby club.
The journey of the former Wallabies skipper was captured for a 30-minute documentary, Out Of Zambia, that will air on Fox Sports immediately after the Bledisloe Cup match on Saturday.
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THE Sydney Sevens heads to western Sydney in 2019, and organisers expect a huge turnout from Fijian, Samoan, Tongan, Kenyan and New Zealand fans, as well as a vocal majority for the Australian men’s and women’s sides that claimed the double at Allianz Stadium earlier this year.
Tickets for the three-day event from February 1-3 at Spotless Stadium are now on sale through Ticketek.
Get 3 months free Sport HD + Entertainment on a 12 month plan and watch the 2018 Bledisloe Cup & 2018 Rugby Championship with no ad-breaks during play. T&Cs apply. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as Panda and Jules: All Blacks happy to poach Kalyn Ponga from NRL
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