Six months to go: Kiwis gearing up for Kangaroos showdown

With the likes of Ponga, Dylan Brown, Jahrome Hughes, Casey McLean, Keano Kini and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in their backline and a forward pack led by James Fisher-Harris and Jospeh Tapine, New Zealand will have a formidable line-up at RLWC2026. 

Jones won’t rule out renewed approaches to Raiders stars Ethan Strange and Kaeo Weekes, who are eligible for both Australia and New Zealand, but neither will he rush them for a decision.

“We have got our group of selectors who are starting to watch a lot of football; we just started last week, and we’ll talk a couple of times per month as we try to get an idea of what our wider squad could potentially look like,” Jones said.

“I feel that we have got a really strong core of players that we have had in the past three years, and you always pick up a few other players along the way, particularly with the new rules around Origin eligibility.

“It opens up that opportunity for players who have New Zealand heritage but have grown up in NSW or Queensland to be able to do that too.”

Ponga has since received a clearance from the International Rugby League Board to switch his allegiances to New Zealand after representing Australia at the 2019 World Cup 9s.

“The thing with Kalyn is he has always wanted to represent New Zealand, and Origin was the only things standing in his way. He is a player who grew up in Queensland but has strong roots in New Zealand,” Jones said.

“He is a world class player, probably one of the top five or six players in the game, but one thing I know about picking a representative team is that so many variables can happen so you won’t know until about a week out from the tournament.

“We will find out about the other guys, but there is no rush at this stage. The reason they didn’t want to play for New Zealand is because they wanted to go down the Origin path and Ethan Strange toured with the Kangaroos last year.”

After opening RLWC2026 against Australia on October 15, the Kiwis return home to meet Cook Islands at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on October 25 before travelling to the Gold Coast to face Fiji on October 31 at Cbus Super Stadium.

The rivalry between the Kiwis and Bati is strong after Fiji, who qualified for the semi-finals of the 2008, 2013 and 2017 World Cups, eliminated New Zealand in a play-off match in 2017 and fell agonisingly short in 2022 after a late Joey Manu try.

“Fiji were dominating the game in Hull at the last World Cup and at the previous World Cup they beat New Zealand in a low scoring quarter-final in Wellington,” Jones said.

"The Fijian game has come on in leaps and bounds over the last 10-or-15 years, and Fiji have got some world class players with Api Koroisau, Viliame Kikau and Sunia Turuva.

"They are real superstars of our game so it makes for another great contest for international rugby league.”

Rugby League World Cup 2026 returns to Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Where nations clash, heroes rise, and legends are forged. 3 World Cups. 26 Teams. The World’s Best. Tickets are now on sale from $19. Don’t miss the pinnacle of global Rugby League.