‘Out of Taumalolo’s hands’ to be back in black
JASON Taumalolo fears he has burnt his bridges with New Zealand after revealing he failed to inform Kiwi coach David Kidwell of his Tongan defection because he was too drunk.
The North Queensland wrecking ball admits his longterm Kiwi future rests with their selectors after he played a key role in Tonga’s epic 28-22 World Cup defeat of New ZeaKiwi land in Hamilton.
Taumalolo has played 10 Tests for New Zealand, but there can surely be no way back in black for the 115kg enforcer after he led Tonga’s stirring Sipi Tau in response to the Kiwi haka on Saturday night.
Kidwell last month launched a stinging attack on Taumalolo, accusing the Dally M star of being a coward by not calling to say he was defecting to Tonga.
Just moments after shedding tears following Tonga’s World Cup boilover, Taumalolo apologised to Kidwell for his handling of the affair, but admits there is no guarantee he will ever return to the Kiwi fold.
“I think both parties have moved on,” Taumalolo said.
“Whether or not I will play for them (NZ), that’s not my decision, that’s theirs. I’m not too worried. I’m keen to see how far we (Tonga) progress in this World Cup. Obviously there will be some big decisions on my international career and whether I play for New Zealand ever again.
“It’s out of my hands. I guess I will worry about that after the World Cup, for now it’s all about playing for Tonga and playing my best for them.”
At his post-match press conference, Kidwell refused to speculate on the prospect of picking Taumalolo again.
When asked why he didn’t explain his Tongan defection to Kidwell, Taumalolo made the stunning admission he feared saying the wrong thing after drinking too much following the Cowboys’ NRL grand final loss to Melbourne.
“Half the reason I didn’t contact him was because I was still blind on Mad Monday,” he said. “The timing (of his defection) was a bit late but I didn’t want to distract my preparation leading into finals footy.”