Kalyn Ponga has been given the green light to represent New Zealand.

According to Code Sports, an International Rugby League board meeting made the final call on Ponga’s representative status on Wednesday night.

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The big decision opens the door for the Knights superstar to represent the Kiwis at the World Cup at the season’s end, becoming the first player to switch allegiance under the new eligibility rulings.

Therefore, Ponga also has the chance to play for Queensland and New Zealand inside the same calendar year — opening a can of worms and shining a spotlight on the new eligibility rulings.

The gun fullback needed permission to switch allegiance due to the rules that state players cannot switch between tier-one nations, without approval.

Ponga played a single game for Australia at the World 9s in 2019, but AJ Brimson’s move to represent England set a precedent after he was approved to make his own switch.

Ponga had also previously pulled out of contention for Kangaroos because he “didn’t want to play against New Zealand” according to The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis.

“Privately, he didn’t say it publicly because he didn’t know how things would transpire,” he said on NRL360 on Tuesday night.

“In Kalyn’s defence, he held his nerve because had he played for Australia it would have been impossible for him to switch that allegiance now and play for the Kiwis.

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The Newcastle star also reportedly wrote to the IRL board, with The Australian’s Brent Read revealing the Ponga family have long harboured a desire for the star No.1 to play for New Zealand.

“They have been chasing him for years, they have been very keen to get him in the system,” he said.

“And I am happy for him, this is what he wanted to do. This is why he didn’t play for Australia a year or two ago, because he wanted to play for New Zealand.

“If you know that family, last year his sister went back to New Zealand so she can connect with her Maori heritage.

“There is deep roots between that family and New Zealand and the Maori culture, and Kalyn had decided he wants to represent his family.”

Ponga won’t be the only player potentially playing in Origin that won’t be representing Australia, with the likes of Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton all playing for Samoa in recent years.

For that reason, Read believes individuals can “have a deep love for Queensland and New South Wales and a deep love for a country other than Australia”.

On NRL360 on Tuesday night, league legend Gorden Tallis made his stance clear — Origin was a stepping stone for Australian selection.

He found an ally in Carayannis, who questioned “what has been wrong with the Origin product over the last couple of years?”.

“Nothing… the rise of international footy has been going so well right, and I feel like we have missed the mark here,” Carayannis said.

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“We should have got to a point where in Origin, we are playing a three-Test series between New Zealand and Samoa or New Zealand or Tonga.

“Build that to have the same rivalry as Origin.”

NRL360 host Braith Anasta also posted an interesting question that could irk rugby league greats — will players push for Origin selection for the money?

Those who represent either NSW or Queensland earn $30,000 match payments, and Read was sure “99 per cent of decisions will be based on their connection to NSW or Queensland”.

Problem solved. Then comes the next factor — should the tier system be scrapped?

As it stands, Australia, New Zealand and England sit in tier one while teams such as Samoa and Tonga are in tier two.

“Yes, because everybody is equal. You can not put Samoa and Tonga down here,” Tallis said.

Players are unable to, unless granted permission, to represent two teams in tier one but are able to play for tier two nations if not picked for a tier one team.

However, if the tier system is scrapped, players would be unable to potentially represent Tonga and Samoa if not picked for a tier one nation, which they have nominated to play for.

“Well if they have missed the Australian team, and they have already played for Australia, probably not,” Read said when asked if players should be able to bounce between teams in a flat system.

“Pick and stick baby.”

Anasta meanwhile was of the belief that “we are going to have more of a mess moving forward”.