Ponga, Gagai headline blockbuster Kiwis squad as New Zealand load up for Rugby League World Cup

New Zealand will take a star-studded men’s and women’s contingent into the 2026 Rugby League World Cups, with a headline Kiwis squad built around two high-profile converts and a Kiwi Ferns group targeting a fourth global title.

The selections confirm New Zealand Rugby League’s intent to challenge for both trophies at a tournament hosted across New Zealand and Australia, under the framework set by the sport’s global governing body, International Rugby League.

High-profile allegiance switches reshape Kiwis backline

Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai are among the most notable new faces in the Kiwis squad for the 2026 men’s Rugby League World Cup.

Both players have previously represented Australia at Test level and Queensland in State of Origin. They are now formally cleared to represent New Zealand at the World Cup under international eligibility rules that allow players to change their allegiance once, subject to heritage and stand-down requirements.

Ponga, who has Māori heritage on his father’s side, has already represented the Māori All Stars and publicly aligned himself with New Zealand’s international programme ahead of this World Cup cycle. Gagai, a long-term Origin mainstay for Queensland, has not played for Australia in recent seasons and becomes available to New Zealand after gaining international clearance.

Their inclusion has several implications:

• New Zealand add big-game playmaking and kicking experience in key spine and centre positions.
• The Kiwis gain greater tactical flexibility: Ponga is capable of playing fullback or in the halves, while Gagai is a proven centre who can also cover wing.
• Australia’s outside-back and playmaking depth is marginally reduced, subtly shifting the competitive balance at the very top of the men’s international game.

For the Kiwis, the additions come on top of a core group retained from the side that won the 2025 Pacific Championships, giving head coach Stacey Jones a blend of continuity and new strike power.

Forward strength remains New Zealand’s foundation

While the attention naturally gravitates to Ponga and Gagai, the Kiwis squad is equally notable for its continuity in the middle of the field.

New Zealand retain a pack built around established Test forwards who have been central to recent successes in the Pacific Championships and mid-season Test windows. That stability matters in World Cup play, where short turnarounds and travel across multiple venues demand robust rotations through the front row and back row.

The presence of a settled forward unit provides:

• A platform for Ponga and Gagai to influence matches from the back and edges.
• Continuity in defensive systems that have underpinned recent results against other Pacific heavyweights.
• Options for Jones to manage workloads, particularly if the Kiwis progress deep into the knockout stages.

In tournament terms, this gives New Zealand a profile similar to their strongest modern World Cup campaigns: a dominant pack, complemented by elite match-winners in the spine and backline.

Nikorima returns as a versatile playmaking option

Kodi Nikorima is another key inclusion, recalled to the Kiwis after last featuring in 2024.

Nikorima’s selection matters for several reasons:

• He offers cover at five-eighth, halfback and fullback, giving the coaching staff flexibility if injuries or form demand changes mid-tournament.
• His long-standing combination with other New Zealand and NRL teammates helps knit together a spine that may otherwise be adjusting to new combinations involving Ponga.
• His presence eases the load on specialist halves by sharing organisational and kicking responsibilities.

There is only one specialist hooker named in the squad, which makes Nikorima’s versatility particularly valuable. In a World Cup environment, where squad sizes are capped and knockout matches can hinge on in-game injuries, a player who can competently move between multiple positions is a significant asset.

Only one specialist hooker – a calculated risk

The decision to carry a single out-and-out hooker in the Kiwis squad stands out in a modern context where many teams name two.

That structure signals a clear trade-off:

• New Zealand maximise depth in the halves, centres and back three, doubling down on the attacking potential created by Ponga and Gagai.
• The coaching group show confidence that their primary hooker can handle substantial minutes, with back-up cover likely to be provided by players who have spent time at dummy half at club or Test level.
• Bench rotations may be configured to keep a utility capable of slotting into the middle third if required, rather than selecting a second specialist rake.

In tournament play, this approach can pay off by keeping more strike weapons in the 17. It also carries obvious risk if the hooker is injured or unavailable during the campaign, potentially forcing tactical reshuffles at short notice.

Kiwi Ferns chase fourth world title with Olympic-winning talent

New Zealand Rugby League has also confirmed a Kiwi Ferns squad targeting a fourth Rugby League World Cup crown.

The women’s team is bolstered by a gold medal-winning sevens duo from rugby’s Olympic programme, Stacey Waaka and Tenika Willison. Both are established figures in elite sevens and bring big-tournament experience, elite conditioning and attacking skill sets tailored to high-tempo international play.

The Kiwi Ferns have historically been one of the standard-bearers in the women’s international game, and this squad reflects that status:

• A core of experienced Test players returns from previous World Cup and Pacific Championships campaigns.
• Olympic sevens experience adds a layer of composure under pressure – critical in knockout environments and tight scorelines.
• The group is explicitly assembled to pursue another world title, underscoring expectations within New Zealand’s high-performance system.

The Kiwi Ferns are scheduled to assemble in Newcastle before opening their World Cup campaign against Fiji. Early matches will serve as both qualification fixtures and practical tests of new combinations, particularly where sevens converts are integrated into 13-a-side structures.

Wheelchair World Cup squad completes three-format push

New Zealand’s investment in the World Cup is not limited to the running game.

The Wheel Kiwis have been named for what will be their first appearance at a Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, to be staged in Wollongong. The squad includes returning figures such as captain Jayson Hooker and teammates Nikia Fa’atau and Kauri Murray, alongside players promoted from New Zealand’s domestic wheelchair programme.

The wheelchair squad’s inclusion in the broader World Cup narrative has several broader impacts:

• It signals New Zealand Rugby League’s commitment to all formats of the sport under the International Rugby League umbrella.
• It offers a pathway for athletes with disabilities into genuine World Cup competition, expanding the code’s reach and diversity.
• It places additional demands on the national governing body’s logistics and high-performance resources, with multiple squads preparing concurrently across different locations.

For the international game, New Zealand’s presence strengthens a wheelchair field that has traditionally been dominated by a small group of nations, improving competitive depth in a growing discipline.

Why this World Cup cycle matters for New Zealand

The 2026 Rugby League World Cups arrive at a time when the international calendar is being reshaped to give more prominence to Test football and to World Cup cycles.

Within that context, New Zealand’s squad announcements are significant on several fronts:

• Competitive balance at the top tier: The Kiwis’ recruitment of Ponga and Gagai adds to an already powerful pack, narrowing perceived gaps with Australia ahead of potential knockout clashes.
• Eligibility dynamics: The ability of players to represent New Zealand while still involved in State of Origin reflects evolving eligibility settings and may influence future career decisions for dual-eligible athletes.
• Programme credibility: The Kiwi Ferns’ pursuit of a fourth title, combined with the Wheel Kiwis’ World Cup debut, demonstrates breadth in New Zealand’s high-performance system that extends beyond a single flagship team.
• Commercial and scheduling implications: Running concurrent campaigns across men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions increases New Zealand Rugby League’s visibility and responsibilities, from sponsorship delivery to player welfare and recovery management over an intense tournament window.

For an international audience, the key takeaway is clear: New Zealand is not merely targeting competitiveness – it is preparing a coordinated, multi-team assault on the World Cup across three formats, built on a blend of long-term squad development and targeted, high-profile additions.

Early tournament pressure on coaching and selection calls

The Kiwis are expected to open their campaign with a home fixture, where decisions around spine composition will come under immediate scrutiny.

Key selection considerations include:

• Whether Ponga starts at fullback or in the halves, and how that choice shapes New Zealand’s attacking patterns.
• How Gagai is used in combination with existing centres and wings, especially in defensive match-ups against power-running outside backs from other leading nations.
• The extent to which Nikorima is used as a bench utility, potentially covering multiple positions, or as a starting playmaker.
• Workload management for the single specialist hooker, particularly in group stages with tight turnarounds.

On the women’s side, integrating sevens specialists into 13-a-side combinations will be a technical focus in the early rounds. The Kiwi Ferns must balance their traditional power game with the pace and width that players like Waaka and Willison can add.

For the Wheel Kiwis, their first World Cup appearance is as much about establishing standards and learning from top-tier opposition as it is about immediate results. However, the naming of a balanced squad with both experienced leaders and players developed through domestic wheelchair competitions indicates that New Zealand expects to be competitive from the outset.

A unified New Zealand push on the global stage

With final squads now confirmed for the Kiwis, Kiwi Ferns and Wheel Kiwis, New Zealand enters the 2026 Rugby League World Cups as a central player in all three tournaments.

The men’s side adds marquee talent to a proven pack, the women’s team targets another world title with Olympic-hardened players, and the wheelchair squad breaks new ground with a first appearance on the global stage.

Collectively, these selections underline a broader shift: for New Zealand, the World Cup is no longer a single campaign but a three-front project in which success will be measured not only in trophies, but also in how effectively the country consolidates its standing across every elite form of the international game.

To understand how these campaigns will unfold and how squads progress through the group and knockout phases, readers can refer to the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournament structures published by the International Rugby League calendar.