Taf looking overseas if Force axed

TATAFU Polota- Nau and Dane HaylettPetty have made passionate last- ditch pleas for the ARU not to cut the Western Force from Super Rugby, the hooker even suggesting he’ll head overseas if the side is axed.

Polota- Nau has become Australia’s No. 1 hooker and with Stephen Moore retiring from internationals at the end of the season, the Wallabies can illafford to lose him in the lead- up to the 2019 World Cup.

But Polota- Nau has developed a strong affinity with the West Australian rugby community and with a decision on the arbitration between the ARU and WA Rugby to be announced as early as Wednesday, he could not make any guarantees he’d remain in Australia if the Force are cut.

“I’ll have to weigh up the options,” he said.

“It’s a tough one because of where I am head- wise. I see it in terms of equity; if I do well in Western Australia I do well for Australia – in terms of growing the game, and hopefully the playing will follow that.

“If it doesn’t, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board because I’ve put all my eggs in one basket.”

Despite the lure of the World Cup, his decision will be based around the Force’s future.

“I’ve got to wait because I’m really passionate about staying in Western Australia,” he said. “The reason why I moved was to get a change of scenery and camaraderie with different guys.

“I loved my time at the Waratahs too, but for some reason the sunset has definitely attracted me. I could see myself living there indefinitely.

“At the same time I feel like I’ve got unfinished business there in growing the game, around the communities there, as much as I wanted to do in Parramatta. It’s only when I went there that I realised how big it is.”