Kiwis lose Kalyn Ponga to injury in major setback for Kiwis after loss to Australia

The Kiwis could be without fullback Kalyn Ponga for the rest of the Rugby League World Cup after he suffered an injury in the opening game in Sydney.Ponga eventually left the field with a suspected broken arm in the Kiwis 24-22 loss to Australia.He scored two of the Kiwi's three tries and then bravely battled on for 20 minutes with the suspected fracture before being forced to leave the field late in the game."Yeh he's a tough bugger," Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris said afterwards. "Obviously a lot of pride in the black and white jersey and he didn't want to let his team mates down."Ponga was playing his first game for New Zealand after a change in the international eligibility rules made him available for selection for the World Cup.He was one of the NRL's top players this season helping Newcastle to the grand final."He did an outstanding job, a freakish player but he's also one of those tough players and feeling for him right now but fingers crossed," Fisher-Harris said.The Kiwis next game is against Cook Islands on October 25, while the final is four weeks away.New Zealand's first up loss to Australia means if they make the semi-finals they are likely to play the top team from the other side of the draw, Samoa or England.