Kalyn Ponga is set to remain at the Newcastle Knights and turn his back on his dream of representing the All Blacks at the next Rugby Union World Cup according to News Corp.

Ponga comes off contract at the end of 2022 with options in the player’s favour for 2023 and 2014.

The report claims the star is being groomed for the Newcastle captaincy.

It’s expected Ponga will take another crack at shifting from fullback into the halves as a replacement for the outgoing Mitchell Pearce.

The Knights currently sit 10th after 18 rounds.

Meanwhile NRL.com is reporting that the Penrith Panthers are, in fact, close to pinching Tevita Pangai Junior for the remainder of the season before linking with Canterbury in 2022.