Walsh vomit & Ponga pain – the physical toll of World Cup opener

Australia's Reece Walsh exerted himself to the point of throwing up, while New Zealand's Kalyn Ponga tried to play on with a suspected broken arm in a dramatic Men's Rugby League World Cup opener. Reece Walsh & Kalyn Ponga have both played for Queensland in State of Origin If anyone doubted the physical commitment of rugby league's greatest stars, they only needed to watch an exhausted Reece Walsh doubled up and vomiting during Thursday's epic World Cup opener between Australia and New Zealand. And during the Kangaroos' dramatic 24-22 victory in Sydney, there were plenty of other examples of that commitment – aside from the normal rough and tumble this punishing sport regularly delivers.

New Zealand full-back Kalyn Ponga bravely battled on for 20 minutes with a suspected broken arm before almost having to be scraped off the pitch minutes before hat-trick hero Jack Bostock's winning try for the Kangaroos. Mitchell Moses initially tried to run off a calf issue before being forced from the field just after the break, while Australia captain Isaah Yeo demonstrated his durability against a powerhouse Kiwis pack, having elected to delay surgery on his injured pectoral muscle just in order play in the tournament. But understandably, much of the focus was on the star full-backs – Ponga and Walsh. The Kangaroos number one was