Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga has been roasted by his fellow NRL stars after appearing in a new advertisement for mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s.
The ad shows him walking towards the camera in a bedazzled white Reigner suit before taking a seat, adjusting his bow tie and squirting some mayo from a secret nozzle around his neck onto a piece of chicken.
“A bow tie that squirts mayo? Hell yeah, we went there,” the Instagram post reads.
“Turns out 1 in 5 Aussies admit to sneaking sauces into restaurants, so Hellmann’s has now made it easier.
“Enter the BYO BOW, a collaboration between Hellmann’s, REIGNER, and Kalyn Ponga. It’s the world’s first bow tie designed to let Aussies discreetly sneak Hellmann’s rich and creamy mayonnaise into the nation’s finest restaurants, elevating every dish.
“Bold. Sophisticated. Deliciously divisive. We call it covert condiment couture.”
Ponga’s bow tie has everyone talking
Ponga’s bow-tie antics prompted equal measures of amusement and confusion among his 372,000 Instagram followers.
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Knights teammate Mat Croker joked: “Hope the $$ was big lad.”
Gold Coast Titans fullback AJ Brimson added: ‘Interest rates crazy atm.’
Former NRL player Jack Johns said: “What in the f***.”
Melbourne Storm halfback Jarome Hughes wrote: “Crazy scenessssss.”
Broncos forward Jordan Riki commented: “Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” with a laughing emoji.
Knights five-eighth Will Pryce added: “Bro I’ve literally seen it all.”
Roosters star Angus Crichton said: “Hahahaha this is wild.”
Ponga reportedly earned $1.2 million in 2025, making him one of rugby league’s highest paid players.
