Taumalolo can return to Kiwis
Jason Taumalolo and the three other players that made an 11th hour switch to Tonga ahead of last year’s World Cup will be welcomed back into the Kiwis should they make themselves available.
Taumalolo, Sio Siua Taukeiaho, Manu Ma’u and David Fusitu’a threw David Kidwell’s World Cup plans into disarray when they decided the play for Tonga on the eve of his squad announcement.
However, the independent review into the disastrous campaign highlighted a major lack of communication right throughout the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) that led to the situation arising in the first place.
International eligibility rules do not prevent the players from returning to play for the Kiwis should they wish and NZRL chairman Reon Edwards confirmed they would not be barred from selection.
Deputy chair and acting chief executive Hugh Martyn was quick to add that they did not blame the players for leaving the Kiwis in the lurch.
‘‘The elected to play for their home nation, that’s absolutely fine by us,’’ Martyn said. ‘‘We weren’t close enough to understand that’s the way they were heading.’’ Asked if they would insist on assurances that Taumalolo and co would not do the same thing at the next World Cup, Martyn added: ‘‘Part of the recommendations in the report do suggest there are contractual issues, but the reality is if the players want to play they want to play, if they don’t they don’t.
‘‘So it’s really about making sure they have the right relationships with them.’’
Taumalolo withdrew from the Kiwis three days before the squad was announced. Taukeiaho and Manu Ma’u then followed over the next two days while Fusitu’a pulled out just an one before the squad announcement, with the review revealing he even trained with the Kiwis that morning.
The players were widely criticised for the way they handled the affair but the review pointed out that they were well within their rights to switch and took aim at the NZRL for not having a plan in place to deal with such a scenario.
‘‘The fact that it happened so close to the tournament, we put that down to a failure in two respects,’’ independent review panel chair Tim Castle said. ‘‘One was the communication issue across the organisation, not just the head coach, but across the high performance structure.
‘‘But also we’ve identified an absence of a very good plan that there remains strong player relationships with the organisation so the NZRL will not ever be in a situation like the case here.’’ Whether or not Taumalolo and co play for the Kiwis will ultimately be up to them and whoever is appointed coach of the Kiwis. Kidwell’s contract ended after the World Cup and the NZRL plan to announce an appointments panel next week that will select the new coach.