Rugby League: Jones out for 10 weeks

By Peter Jessup

The Kiwis had the worst possible result from their mis-match with Tonga at Carlaw Park last night. Stacey Jones' left arm was smashed in a tackle putting him out of the tri-series.

Jones left the field in the 11th minute of what turned into a Kiwis record 74-0 scoreline. He came to assist in a tackle made by Joe Vagana, folded onto his wrist and was helped off with tha arm hanging limp.

It was fractured but worse followed. Jones complained of unrelated pain when team doctor Mary Holden was checking the injury to reveal he had also dislocated the elbow.

He's out for 10 to 12 weeks. Kiwi coach Frank Endacott has only 20 of the allowed 22 squad members in camp and can call replacements up for the Great Britain game next Friday and the final the following week.

But any newcomer isn't going to be match-fit - with the exception of last year's wing Sean Hoppe, just back from the British grand final.

The halves are not an issue, with the Paul brothers able to combine there and Richard Swain to start at hooker.

It was just 60 seconds into the match before new test cap Brian Jellick, putting pressure on for a place out wide, scored the first try.

The Tongans fronted with a gutsy peformance but they had no answer to the big-running Kiwi forwards, with Terry Hermansson and Joe Vagana making 15 metre barging runs or Richard Swain going that far from dummy-half.

Tonga's defence wasn't fast enough off the mark, hard enough or hole-free. They had a couple of big runs from broken play but no efficient execution on attack.

Quick, clean ball through the Kiwi backs produced four first-half tries to Jellick, a record on debut, and another to David Kidwell.

In the second spell the Kiwis ran the ball everywhere, and scored another eight tries including one to Jason Lowrie, who had waited 129 games for his first last Friday. The Tongans ran out of steam.

There'll be no end of debate about the value of the game given the Jones result. But the Kiwis needed the workout and it allowed a good test of their ball skills.

Endacott said: "It's bad luck, but you can't put your players in cotton wool."

Around $20,000 was raised from the gate of around 6000 for children's hospitals, Viola in Tonga and Middlemore, Auckland.

New Zealand 74 (Brian Jellick 4, David Kidwell, Lesley Vainikolo, Henry Paul, Nigel Vagana 3, Richard Swain, Jason Lowrie, Tony Puletua tries; Paul 11 conversions) Tonga 0. HT: 26-0.