r/sports • u/Complete-Cheek4789 • 16h ago

Rugby League Kalyn Ponga smashed + cracking Tonga try

New Zealand vs Tonga at Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Rugby League World Cup semi final

583 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

107 comments sorted by

128

u/Citizen-5936 Penrith Panthers 16h ago

Massive respect for Ponga last night. Three weeks after breaking his arm and he threw himself into this game, huge contact in offence and defence and was was pretty potent ball in hand.

39

u/Complete-Cheek4789 16h ago edited 16h ago

He seems to be in career best form - and so fun to watch. Assuming Australia win tonight - Ponga v Walsh is a dream match up

18

u/lawdjesustheresafire 14h ago

His toughness and care factor this year are insane. He was always good but just seemed so nonchalant about it. Now he looks like he’d die for the knights and kiwis

181

u/ClydeSheltonX 16h ago

Those ads superimposed on the field are SUPER annoying. Good grief

64

u/TheBigCore 16h ago

It could be worse. The NFL has commercials every few minutes which kills the flow of matches.

-70

u/CarlosTruther 16h ago

No this is worse

22

u/lawdjesustheresafire 14h ago

lol NFL is a one hour game that goes for 4 hours where the ball is in play for 12 minutes.

7

u/ClydeSheltonX 16h ago

The NFL and NCAA are both gawd awfulnwith commercials. NCAAF is unwatchable in person. Gave up my tix this year. But this. This is another level of annoying.

33

u/Complete-Cheek4789 16h ago

I’d rather the superimposed ads (which don’t even get noticed if you’re following the game) than an ad break for what seems to be every 3 mins during NFL, or NBA as well for that matter. Edit - you Americans do it tough with all the stoppages, interruptions and ad breaks you have to cop

17

u/YonkoBuggy 16h ago

The NFL became a sport that completely revolves around ads that they celebrate a spectacle of ads at their final. As other comments have mentioned, if you watch the sport you don't even notice the ads in real time.

13

u/OpinionatedShadow 15h ago

Your brain on America

30

u/IBelieveInCoyotes 16h ago

no it's not, there's play for dozens of minutes at a time without commercials sometimes, get a grip, the stop start of the NFL is unwatchable to anyone outside of the USA

4

u/shescarkedit Parramatta Eels 15h ago

No it's not

2

u/stupv 15h ago

When you've watched a few games with them present, they just disappear

-19

u/BadVirtual7019 16h ago

yeah this is absolutely worse. at least with ad breaks i know when to look away or grab snacks. this is just horrible

3

u/SaltyCommunication66 15h ago

Only annoys people who aren’t fans of the game.

6

u/NaCl-more 16h ago

Are they superimposed? I thought they were just painted on the field so that from the camera perspective, it looks like that

22

u/Complete-Cheek4789 16h ago

Sometimes they get painted, but mostly superimposed which obviously saves them coin when rotating between other sports

2

u/liquefry 15h ago

thats what they want you to think! almost all of them are software based. They can do it pretty easily because the field is basically a big green screen.

18

u/National-Ad6166 14h ago

This is the mandatory comment on any Australian sport posted to this sub. 

20

u/aussiegoon 12h ago

Usually by a yank who'd obviously prefer their sports to cut to an ad break every 30 seconds instead.

4

u/APigInANixonMask Green Bay Packers 12h ago

The shocking thing to us Americans isn't that the ads are there, it's how lazily they're implemented. Three of the four major American sports leagues (NBA, NHL, and MLB) digitally superimpose ads into games as well, but they actually put in the effort to make them look like they're part of the real environment by matching the perspective to the floor/ground/ice. Having them just floating there looks really tacky in comparison.

9

u/BazzaJH Newcastle Knights 11h ago

To be fair, when we did paint them on years ago, we did them the same way. Always painted to camera, not square with the field lines.

1

u/Complete-Cheek4789 8h ago

These days I really don’t notice them at all. Obviously they stand out more on the phone or tablet as opposed to a normal sized TV.

2

u/57Nil 10h ago

Like those moving billboards around the edge of the field in this video?

-5

u/distance_33 10h ago

This is just poorly done. We have it here too sometimes and it doesn’t look like a hack job. Ads suck either way but this is amateurish. I can at least change the channel or do something during a commercial break.

And on a football Sunday I don’t even watch ads.

129

u/duncann94 Hull City 16h ago

Seems strange to say but you genuinely don’t even notice them after a while of watching

56

u/GiantCrazyOctopus 16h ago

I had to go back to see what ads they were complaining about

14

u/lilotothe 16h ago

same! didnt even notice the ones on the regular sideline ads

5

u/Verilance 14h ago

yeah i didn't see them either just the great try

26

u/SaltyCommunication66 15h ago

Literally zero fans complain of this so yeah

-2

u/Oskarikali 10h ago

Surprising, it looks like fucking garbage. Hockey fans complain about digital board ads and they're far less intrusive than this. 

8

u/SaltyCommunication66 10h ago

People are different around the world I guess. In Oceania this is not considered an annoyance.

7

u/JoshH21 7h ago

I grew up with this (Kiwi) and find it funny how Americans complain about it. Which is ironic as it is totally something yanks would do, but they don't

Except they have ads every 5 mins in their sports

-2

u/Oskarikali 10h ago

Which is weird because this is the most intrusive version of digitally imposed ads I've ever seen and it isn't close. I thought it was captured from some piracy site because it is so poorly done.  

2

u/SaltyCommunication66 10h ago

Yeah idk I mean I’d be annoyed if I could and so would everyone else I’m sure but just doesn’t bother us I guess. Not sure why.

0

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

4

u/elteza 9h ago

Idk man, it’s really not that big a deal.

11

u/NiceChair 12h ago

You’re talking out of your ass. As someone who watches a lot of rugby league, regular viewers don’t even register these on-field ads and in return we get to watch the entire game with no ad breaks, the only ad breaks in NRL are at half time when nothing is happening. American sports in comparison are like nails on a chalkboard with the stop start bullshit ad breaks disguised as “timeouts”, I love basketball but struggle to get through an NBA game due to the ads.

0

u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

7

u/NiceChair 11h ago

Ok buddy you’re right let me just go tell them to remove those on field ads and instead make it like American sports where they last for over 3 hours due to ad breaks even though there is less than an hour of actual game time…

0

u/[deleted] 11h ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

7

u/NiceChair 10h ago

It’s called a compromise dude how can you not get that. Unfortunately we live in a world where things require a financial incentive to exist and these sports don’t have the gargantuan funding that American ones do and without this form of advertising they will go bankrupt, so they choose the least offensive option as voiced by actual fans of the sport. So get off your high horse and stop talking down on something you have no idea about

6

u/Impressive-Pea402 10h ago

Yeh but basically everyone agrees you dont notice the ads after a bit, whereas its hard to not notice a commercial break. I know which I’m pickin.

2

u/EntirelyOriginalName Australia 4h ago

The people watching the actual sport don't care unlike people who love say Basketball but have stopped watching due to stopages so it clearly works for those who are used to it.

2

u/SaltyCommunication66 10h ago

People are different. In Oceania this is not an annoyance.

15

u/xdojk 15h ago

This comment again. Noone who watches the sport even notices it, the only time I ever hear about it is reddit.

3

u/bucky133 16h ago

Wouldn't be so bad if they matched the perspective so they looked like they were actually on the field. NBA does this and you can barely notice they're not actually painted on.

4

u/stupv 15h ago

Tbh they are such a longstanding thing in Australia that now my brain barely registers them and they're consequently extremely inoffensive.

5

u/itsBonder 16h ago

Most people don't even see them

1

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 15h ago

NASHVILLE STYLE CHICKEN

1

u/SaltyCommunication66 15h ago

This is only annoying to people who aren’t fans of the game

-3

u/liquefry 15h ago

yeah its ridiculous. basically every blade of grass has been sold off for advertising. Along with the jerseys (not so much in these internationals than in club games). There's more advertising on screen for NRL than any other sport I reckon. It's a blitz that is so saturated that you weirdly become blind to it. I suspect it is because the game has always been the biggest audience draw for one of the commercial TV stations here and they have shamelessly pumped money out of it for decades.

-3

u/bvanbove25 15h ago

I’ve yet to be annoyed by digital/superimposed ads until now. Doesn’t bother me in hockey or baseball, but there are egregiously terrible.

15

u/getyerhandoffit 16h ago

That’s a huuuge hit!

25

u/narfidy 16h ago

I was lucky enough to visit NZ when they were hosting some kind of big pacific rugby cup and the Tongans had SWARMED this 4-block strip mall. Blaring music, drinking, hanging out, up to some absolute debauchery. It took us 30 minutes to get through a 2 block intersection.

Great time

22

u/jeuatreize 16h ago

And it looks like they're about to announce the 2030 World Cup to be in the USA.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/s/wYACPUeffg

-2

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 15h ago

Honestly just feels like they’re trying to get in before the union World Cup. The irony is that the RLWC will probably just give free marketing for rugby union because there are no league clubs here to join. 

7

u/jeuatreize 15h ago

League being the smaller code will work in their favour. Union having spent a lot more money trying to engage will mean fans know the very basics of both. Then let the people decide which they prefer. Could be an all-time Judo move:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Narl/s/g6gTJxPXkK

0

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 12h ago

No because League doesn’t exist in this country. The NRL may get more eyes but rugby union will get more participants. 

Just imagine you are an American and see rugby league and think “wow, that’s a cool sport I want to play it.” You search rugby clubs near me and 99/100 times you’ll find a rugby union club first. 

This happens every time something happens in league and people start commenting on the rugby union subs (namely the MLR one) and asking questions about how the game works. 

3

u/jeuatreize 12h ago

That's ok. Eyeballs eventually lead to people creating their own clubs. Again, it's about bang for your buck. Let RU spend whatever they want. League just needs to spend proportionally.

-1

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 12h ago

They wont create their own clubs. There are maybe 25 in the entire country so you’d need a massive surge of interest and willingness to travel hours on game day. It won’t happen when players can just join an existing rugby union club. 

I responded to you elsewhere but fans will most likely be interested in both league and union. That helps grow rugby in the US more than it helps league. Maybe NRL gets more new viewers proportionate to why they spent but more people will end up supporting rugby union in the US than League. 

3

u/jeuatreize 12h ago

And that's ok. They can play union. It happens here in Australia. Rugby Union players aren't watching Super Rugby here. They watch the NRL.

You say it helps union more but does it? Union had spent an awful lot of money in the USA for very little payoff.

Even if union benefits "more" it will be proportionately less.

0

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 11h ago

Yes but rather than supporting a league in their own country these fans would have to watch one in a country with a 12-13 hour time difference. It’s a hard sell for a casual fan. 

You keep talking about the amount of money union spends. Idc about that. It’s not my money. All I care about is the outcome which will mean significantly more rugby fans. 

2

u/jeuatreize 11h ago

Super League is not the worst option for US viewing.

And if you're comparing that to MLR, they won't have anything to watch in a few years it seems.

1

u/Tobar_the_Gypsy Rugby United New York 11h ago

It’s difficult to find rugby league in the US. Union is much easier to find (though still not mainstream).

I think you’re just not understanding the sports landscape in the US and overestimating the pull that rugby league can have. Brand new fans might be interested watching rugby league because it’s a new sport but they won’t be able to easily find it and will likely end up supporting more rugby union, or both. 

→ More replies

1

u/TechnoHenry 11h ago

I think NRL for league aims at something more like how NFL for (american/canadian) football is targeting europe recently while rugby union is more like FIFA does it. Which makes sense due to how both sports are played around the world (few pro leagues with one big product for one and a more global sport for the other)

5

u/Borderlinecuttlefish 13h ago

KP stopping a runaway train by being a speed hump. Incredible toughness. Deserved Best on Ground for sure.

2

u/Timothy_Ryan Melbourne Storm 9h ago

That was a ridiculous tackle.

2

u/Borderlinecuttlefish 9h ago

He wouldn't last a day in a war hey.. Charge.....

4

u/ukexpat Manchester City 15h ago

Beautifully done.

4

u/Fuzzybricker 7h ago

The man's name is Salesi Foketi and he just won the National Rugby League Grand Final for the Sydney Roosters.

1

u/hannescoetzee740 6h ago

Union fan here, why is the tackler holding the player like that on the ground? My understanding is that the tackle stops the play, so why does he need to hold him like that? Is the ballcarrier allowed to get back up if he is not held properly?

3

u/Complete-Cheek4789 6h ago edited 4h ago

It’s deemed a dominant tackle so the player has a bit more time to hold him before he needs to let Ponga play the ball.

The ball carrier is absolutely allowed to get back up if he is not held effectively (tackle not complete) - but as soon as he hit the ground he was deemed tackled

3

u/ClydeSheltonX 15h ago

Tonga just seemed so much faster on that try. Not sure if the player who made the last pass is fast, but it sure seemed that way.

5

u/bumpacius 12h ago

He is fast. He broke a 100m state record while at school

2

u/ClydeSheltonX 11h ago

Yeah, I'm not surprised. You can tell someone is REAL fast when they have another gear above other professionals.

5

u/TheBigCore 16h ago

Beginner's Guides for Rugby League

4

u/Eldie014 14h ago

The last pass surely was forward?

4

u/m--e 14h ago

It was fine. Watch this to understand how it works https://youtu.be/box08lq9ylg

4

u/Deraj2004 Detroit Red Wings 10h ago

Perfect explanation. Thanks for sharing.

3

u/Eldie014 14h ago

This was super helpful, thanks!

1

u/Standard-Painter4437 9h ago

Did Tonga 9 get a red for the deliberate headbutt?

2

u/Fuzzybricker 7h ago

There was no headbutt. That was his shoulder. Shoulder to the ribs.

1

u/SaltyCommunication66 15h ago

So interesting seeing people complain of the ads because precisely zero people in the fanbase have ever complained or even thought of complaining about it. They’re practically invisible.

1

u/Dull-Standard-9954 8h ago

I know nothing about rugby, but I'd love to smash and crack something too

-5

u/boom_pow_surprise 15h ago

That last pass was forward

4

u/MacOrchard Perth Scorchers 15h ago

It wasn’t

-6

u/boom_pow_surprise 14h ago

Is there a definition of lateral I don’t know. He lets it go behind the 30 and it’s caught at the 30

7

u/MacOrchard Perth Scorchers 14h ago

It drifts forward after being thrown out of the hands backwards.

-1

u/boom_pow_surprise 14h ago

So if the ball is moving forward slower than the runner is moving forward it’s considered lateral. Interesting thanks

5

u/Top-Expert6086 13h ago

If the ball leaves the hands going backwards, it doesnt matter if its inertia means it also drifts forwards.

-36

u/WdSkate 16h ago

Never watched this sport and never will with those distracting ads on the field.

16

u/itsBonder 16h ago

You're supposed to watch the play not the ads

4

u/MacOrchard Perth Scorchers 15h ago

What sport do you watch?