Broncos superstar to make big call on Samoa defection
Jasper Bruce |
Outgoing Australia coach Mal Meninga says a call by Payne Haas to defect to Samoa will help make international rugby league more competitive.
Reports on Thursday linked the NRL’s best prop to a change in eligibility, with the Brisbane behemoth set to begin preferencing his Samoan roots over the Kangaroos in future international fixtures.
It comes after months of speculation Haas could join the likes of Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton and Jarome Luai as superstar players to have chosen Samoa over Australia in recent years.
Under International Rugby League rules, a player eligible for a tier-one nation such as Australia and a tier-two nation such as Samoa can change allegiance provided they do not represent both teams in the same calendar year.
Haas’s decision would clear him to be available for the post-season Pacific Championships, featuring a mouth-watering clash against Pacific rivals Tonga in Brisbane.
The call will also rule Haas out of representing Australia in the first Ashes tour since 2003.
The move is a significant boost for Samoa, who underlined their status as a new powerhouse of international rugby league by making the World Cup final in 2022.
Having Haas on deck for the 2026 edition of the tournament would strengthen Samoa’s case for a first World Cup trophy.
“It’s fantastic news if you’re Samoa, they’re setting up for the World Cup,” Meninga told SEN.
“The attraction for going to Samoa is they believe they will be the first Samoan side to win the World Cup.
“If you’re wanting to see more competitive games in the international space then it’s really good.”
Samoan representative Tommy Talau said his countrymen would be particularly keen for October’s clash with Tonga, who boast Addin Fonua-Blake and Jason Taumalolo in their pack.
“All the Samoans that will be at that game will be cheering for him. They’ll probably be saying, ‘It’s about time’,” said Manly utility Talau.
“If (switching allegiances) is what he’s decided to do then that’s awesome.”
The news looms as a blow for new Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters, who had coached Haas during his tenure at Brisbane.
On winning the Kangaroos job, Walters had indicated his hopes of convincing Samoa-eligible players such as Haas, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to stay put in the Australian set-up.
“It’s disappointing for the green and gold as he’s grown up in our system,” said Meninga, who stepped down as Kangaroos coach earlier this year.
“(Walters) will be disappointed.”
Haas represented Australia four times between 2019 and 2023, most recently appearing in the shock loss to New Zealand in the 2023 Pacific Cup final.
AAP
