But the big win was before the tournament, when coach Stacey Jones sat down to name his team. It was a difficult task and there were one or two players he might have considered who opted for Tonga or Samoa but generally, everyone was fit and available.
Dylan Brown was a big loss for the Kiwis ahead of this World Cup. Photo / Photosport
The obvious exception was Newcastle five-eighth Dylan Brown, who was a massive loss with his ACL injury earlier this year, while centre Matt Timoko and, to a lesser extent, Brandon Smith could have been in the frame.
But by Kiwis standards, it was a minor miracle, as their usual fate is to lose a swag of players before big events, either to injury or off-season surgery, due to the gruelling nature of the NRL season.
Look at the 2025 Pacific Championships. No Jahrome Hughes or Kodi Nikorima, while hooker Jeremy Marshall-King was injured in the first half of the opening match. It was more profound a year earlier for Jones, as he lost Brown, Hughes, Kieran Foran, Moses Leota, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Briton Nikora before the tournament. In 2023, with Smith and Marshall-King injured, Michael Maguire used Foran at hooker – he had never played dummy half before – while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Shaun Johnson were other notable outs.
But it has been a recurring issue. Back in 2005, ahead of the Tri Nations tournament, new coach Brian McClennan was unable to select either Benji Marshall or Sonny Bill Williams – then two of the hottest players in the world – due to off-season surgery required by their clubs. Thomas Leuluai (broken leg), Dene Halatau, Lesley Vainikolo and Jerome Ropati were other prominent names missing, with Nigel Vagana used at five-eighth through the series and Lance Hohaia at hooker.
Benji Marshall was unavailable for the 2005 Tri Nations series, needing surgery after winning the NRL grand final with the Wests Tigers. Photo / Photosport
During his long tenure (1994-2000), Frank Endacott became accustomed to having players scratched or unavailable, either through injury or often suspension, especially ahead of mid-season Anzac tests.
Stephen Kearney had a number of frontliners missing in both 2008 and 2013, while David Kidwell famously saw his potential squad completely reshaped after the late defections to Tonga ahead of the 2017 World Cup.
This time, it has all come together. Jones had the usual nervous watch during the latter stages of the NRL season but none of the dreaded phone calls. Other little things have helped. The Melbourne Storm missed the finals for the first time in 16 years, which meant Hughes, arguably the Kiwis’ most irreplaceable player, came in fresh, instead of banged-up. It was the same silver lining for veteran Joseph Tapine, after the Canberra Raiders didn’t make the playoffs.
The New Zealand Warriors’ incredible regular season has helped with the feel-good factor around the sport – and probably bought Kiwis fans out of the woodwork – a contrast to the feeling ahead of the 2017 and 2022 World Cups, when the Auckland club struggled, finishing 13th and 15th respectively.
The Kiwis had three players in the grand final – Whyte, Dane Gagai and Ponga – but Gagai and Whyte were able to be rested in the second group match against the Cook Islands, which was the mini-break they needed. On a macro level, this team have the ideal blend of youth and experience, flair and function, and a culture that has developed over the last nine years, since Maguire took charge in 2018, with a captain, James Fisher-Harris, arguably at the peak of his powers.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.