NRL World Cup eligibility opens door to Pacific talent raid
New eligibility rules now link players to great-grandparents' birthplaces. This lets NRL stars switch from Australia to Pacific countries.
Reported by The Sydney Morning Herald
ShareWhy it matters
If the trend continues, Australia's World Cup squad could weaken. Other nations may grow stronger.
In Australia. Australian rugby league faces a talent drain to Pacific nations just as the Kangaroos head into the World Cup final, threatening future squad depth.
Key facts
- 22
- Toia age
- $40,000
- Kangaroos tournament pay
- $850
- Pacific player per-game pay
- Nearly half
- NRL heritage estimate
- International Rugby League has changed World Cup eligibility rules.
- Players can now link to great-grandparents' birthplaces instead of just grandparents', opening the door for more NRL players to represent Pacific nations instead of the Kangaroos.
- Robert Toia, a young Roosters centre, switched to Tonga days before Sunday's World Cup final.
- Other stars have made similar moves.
- The pay gap is stark.
- Kangaroos earn $40,000 for the tournament while Pacific players get $850 per game.
- Nearly half the NRL population has Pasifika or New Zealand heritage.
- This creates a large talent pool that competing nations can now reach.
- Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters worries Australia lacks depth in key positions like forward.
- More homegrown players are committing elsewhere.
- The shift could turn the NRL into something like soccer's English Premier League, where money attracts talent but reduces the pool available for the national team.
