Tonga Stick With Winning 19 as Kiwis Ring Changes for Newcastle Semi

Tonga coach Kristian Woolf has named the same 19-man squad that beat Samoa 20-18 in an epic quarter-final-style clash at CommBank Stadium for Saturday's Rugby League World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. Isaiya Katoa, who played the full 80 minutes in his return from an ankle injury against Samoa, will again partner Tui Lolohea in the halves as Tonga chase a place in the final at Suncorp Stadium on November 15. New Zealand, by contrast, have rung the changes. Winger Ronaldo Mulitalo's one-game ban sees Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad called up to start, while Leo Thompson is the new face on the six-man bench. Two big names sit on the reserves list: Knights star Kalyn Ponga, who broke his arm in the opening game against Australia but is on track for a remarkable return, and Phoenix Crossland, who has served a four-game suspension arising from the NRL preliminary final and came into the squad on Monday for the injured Jacob Laban. Either man could be called into the 19 later in the week. The semi-final kicks off at 8:05 p.m. AEDT on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, with the winners advancing to the decider. Australia face Samoa in the other semi-final on Sunday at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, completing a final-four weekend that has already delivered historic firsts for Fiji and Samoa in the women's tournament.