Playing with black protective bandaging taped to his left forearm, Ponga was directly involved in four of New Zealand’s six tries. His fancy footwork and slick handling setting up scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison.
He largely dominated the contest with opposite number Lehi Hopoate, notably clearing out the full-back as he fumbled a grubber kick in Tonga’s in-goal area for New Zealand’s second try, scored by Dane Gagai.
In defence, a bruising try-saving block on Demitric Vaimauga indicated no cause for concern about his wounded wing.
“Obviously a freak of a player,” said Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris. “The defensive mindset he had tonight, he saved a couple of tries. That’s what I love about KP.
“He’s a freak of nature. His leadership skills are underrated. He’s really good for us, our spine especially.”
But while it was undoubtedly the Ponga show at the home of his NRL side Newcastle Knights, New Zealand are not just a one-man band.
Gagai sparked the counter-attack for McLean’s try by forcing a knock-on around halfway. Jahrome Hughes added directness with his carries and when putting boot to ball. Dead-eye kicker Jamayne Isaako mastered fierce winds to kick five out of six conversions, curling two over from the left touchline, to take his tally for the tournament to 36 from 38 attempts.
Asked if this was New Zealand’s best shot at adding a second title to their 2008 triumph, Fisher-Harris paused before replying: “Yes.”
“We’re just trying to chase history,” he added. “We’ve only done it once but we’ve been building with this squad, this generation, for the past six or seven years.”
