Kalyn Ponga’s shocking defection looms after AJ Brimson’s England switch

Kalyn Ponga’s path to representing New Zealand is now clear, following a landmark ruling by the International Rugby League (IRL) that could trigger one of the most controversial eligibility shakeups in the sport’s recent history.

The eligibility door was flung open after Gold Coast Titans star AJ Brimson was granted permission to switch from Australia to England, setting a precedent that now places Ponga in the crosshairs of a potential Origin exit.

“They’ll let him do it. Under the rules, (Ponga) can go and play for the Kiwis now,” journalist Michael Carayannis told NRL360.

“The door’s been opened now for him to play for the Kiwis off the back of AJ Brimson being allowed a couple of weeks ago to switch from Australia to England,” he said on Wednesday.

Both Brimson and Ponga represented Australia at the 2019 IRL Nines World Cup in Sydney – a tournament, that at the time, was intended to be held every four years but has since been scrapped.

That change became the core of the IRL tribunal’s ruling, which found that players who committed to the short-form format were now being unfairly penalised due to the competition’s discontinuation.

“The big reason he wasn’t allowed to switch was because he played in that world nines a couple of years ago, right. So did AJ Brimson,” Carayannis said.

“But AJ Brimson’s eligibility, he fronted the panel, and put a submission to the panel, and the panel ruled that the world nines doesn’t count because at that time it was supposed to be a circuit and a bigger sort of competition.”

The decision has sparked speculation over Ponga’s international future, with many now questioning whether his long-standing ties to Queensland will keep him from donning the black and white of New Zealand.

“Well he has to give up playing for Queensland, and he loves playing for Queensland, so whether or not he will give up that, because that’s what will happen, he won’t be able to play for Queensland,” Carayannis said.

“At the end of this Origin series, if he brains it, if he wins it, who knows? It’s hard to get into the head of Kalyn Ponga.”

“But he loves playing for Queensland, and if he had a choice, at the international level, he’d rather play for the Kiwis than the Kangaroos.”

Ponga has been named at fullback for the Maroons in Game 1 of the 2025 State of Origin series which takes place on Wednesday night at Suncorp Stadium, replacing the injured Reece Walsh.

But past decisions have raised eyebrows of a potential shift coming into the next Rugby League World Cup in 2026.

Last year, the 26-year-old withdrew from selection for the Kangaroos ahead of the Pacific Championships – a move that, now in hindsight, appears to have been more strategic than circumstantial.

“Now it makes more sense why he pulled out at the end of last year,” said NRL360 co-host and former Origin great Gorden Tallis.

Ponga’s potential switch to New Zealand could become even more complicated for the NRL, with All Blacks coach Scott Robertson declaring he will “keep the door open” for the star fullback to make a future move to rugby union.

Gordan Tallis was quick to dismiss the notion KP will chase the All Black’s dream.

“They don’t have the money, rugby union,” said Tallis.

“You go there for less… Okay, if it’s for the Wallabies they have to pay overs, but when you play for the All Blacks it’s the jersey, mate.”

Brimson, born in Australia but eligible for England through his mother, is now clear to represent England in the 2025 Ashes series and the 2026 RLWC to be held in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

If indeed the precedent has been set and Ponga follows suit, the fallout would have a huge knock-on effect – not just for the Maroons – but for Origin’s traditional boundaries and Australia’s hold on dual-eligible stars.