Rugby: Fijian player cleared to play in RWC

Leone Nakarawa of Fiji will be able to play in the Rugby World Cup after resigning from the Fijian military. Photo / Getty Images

The Government has granted Fijian rugby player Leone Nakarawa a travel ban exemption to allow him to play in the World Cup following his resignation from the army.

The move comes after the Government earlier said it would not relax travel sanctions against members of Fiji's military regime - including some team members and the chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union.

Nakarawa had been part of the Fijian military but was granted a temporary travel ban exemption after he yesterday handed in his discharge papers.

A spokesman for Foreign Minister Murray McCully told TVNZ the fast-tracked exemption process was necessary because teams were picking their teams for the World Cup.

Mr McCully in June said New Zealand would not relax travel sanctions against Fiji unless its ruling regime made "positive changes''.

Green Party MP Keith Locke said he would be "very disappointed'' if Mr McCully had granted a visa to a member of the military just after his resignation.

"I think we shouldn't accept that dodge and it isn't consistent with Murray McCully's previous strong stand against any military person coming here,'' he told NZPA.

"How can we credibly hold the line in terms of sanctions if we allow a person to one day be a member of the military, the next day not be, and be a member of the World Cup team?''

Mr Locke said when the player returned to Fiji he could perhaps rejoin the military and get a promotion if he did well.

"Once you've opened the floodgates, as it were, by allowing one person to use this Fijian sidestep, then others could do the same thing.''

- NZPA