Seven minutes from the end, Ponga leaves
Kalyn Ponga left the field seven minutes from full time. Concussion protocol. Newcastle were two points ahead. Auckland were coming hard.
The Knights held on. 12-10. They are into an NRL semi-final next Sunday.
“I feel like crying,” Ponga said straight after the match. His concussion was ruled category two. He will be available against Penrith.
Try it for $0.99.
Thirteen years waiting
Newcastle had not reached this stage since 2013. And only once before that since the 2001 title.
It was not a pretty game. 54 missed tackles from the Knights. 17 turnovers. Worse than the Warriors on both counts.
But Eden Park was humming. “Almost a hurricane,” Justin Holbrook said. The temperature dropped towards single figures. More than 48,000 fans packed the stands, a record crowd for a rugby league game in New Zealand. Around 100 Newcastle supporters were among them.
“We played with a hundred fans here out of 50,000, and we knew how many were watching back home,” the Australian coach said.
One conversion changed everything
It was 6-6 at the break. Leka Halasima had opened the scoring in the 12th minute by slicing through the middle. Fletcher Sharpe hit back in the 28th after a 60-metre break started by Bradman Best.
Early in the second half, Dane Gagai floated a pass for Dom Young. Try on 44 minutes, five metres in from the touchline. Sandon Smith slotted the conversion from the sideline. That kick settled it.
Halasima dragged the Warriors back to within two points on 69 minutes, keeping both ball and body in play as Young forced him out. Not enough.
Phoenix Crossland did the rest. A steal when Newcastle were under pressure. A loose ball picked up from nowhere. A high ball claimed with less than three minutes left, in the exact spot where he had broken his nose earlier in the season.
Dylan Lucas was back too. Fourteen minutes, eight weeks after an ankle dislocation and two broken bones in his leg.
Gagai, meanwhile, has been cited for a tackle on Taine Tuaupiki. He is waiting on the decision. Andrew Webster, on the Warriors side, complained about missed chances and calls that rattled him. The return is set for Sunday at 4pm at Accor Stadium.
Discover the rest of the Rugby news on the MathODDS site and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply