New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 to reach Rugby League World Cup final

New Zealand are in the Rugby League World Cup final after beating Tonga 34-10 in the first men's semi-final. The match was played on 7 November 2026 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales. It is New Zealand's first World Cup final since 2013.

New Zealand scored six tries. Nikora, Gagai, McLean, Hughes, Willison and Nicoll-Klokstad all touched the ball down over the line, and Isaako kicked five goals. A try is worth four points. A goal, kicked from in front of the posts after a try, adds two more.

Tonga had their moments too. Fifita scored two tries and Katoa kicked a goal, giving them 10 points. Their run to this game had already been eventful. They opened the tournament by beating England 30-12 on 17 October, then edged Samoa in a tight contest to earn the semi-final, as Reuters reported.

Much of the pre-match talk centred on Kalyn Ponga. The New Zealand player had broken a forearm, and he returned to play for the Kiwis 23 days after the injury, according to the BBC. Coming back that quickly is a notable effort, and it gave the team a familiar face in a must-win game.

For anyone new to the code, rugby league is built around the tackle count. The attacking side gets six tackles to move the ball up the field. If they fail to score or keep the ball, possession passes to the other team. That means every set of six is a fresh chance to make ground, and a team that wins field position often controls the game.

The result also tells a simple story about the two sides. New Zealand kept sending the ball wide and scoring at a steady rate. Tonga kept coming back with tries of their own, but could not match the Kiwis for the full 80 minutes. The score was 34-10 at the final whistle.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra covered the match with live commentary. For New Zealand, the next job is the final. For everyone else, the lesson is that a World Cup semi-final can be decided by a few well-timed plays and a lot of hard work in the tackle.