Israel Folau's highly contentious return to rugby league has hit its biggest obstacle yet, with the Tongan Prime Minister reportedly demanding that members of the Tongan National Rugby League (RLIF) board supporting the banned former Wallabies star's selection for Mate Ma'a Tonga, be sacked.
According to Stuff, The RLIF boardare scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss developments over the past 48 hours, following Folau's unexpected announcement that he would be returning to league, after seven years in the 15-man code.
The RLIF announced on Monday that Folau will be available for selection in tests against Great Britain and Australia in New Zealand late next month, but won't be playing in the NRL's International 9's after the NRL didn't accept his selection for the tournament.
As a result, a number of top Tongan players have threatened to boycott matches, demanding the resignation of several key RLIF decision-makers, including chairman George Kolomatangi, and the reinstatement of Kristian Woolf as head coach.
Israel Folau speaks to media following his conciliation meeting with Rugby Australia. Photo / Getty
Tonga's interim Prime Minister, Semisi Sika, has told the RLIF he doesn't acknowledge the current TNRL board and wants to establish an interim board to oversee the national team, Stuff reported.
Earlier, Kiwis and Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall called out the NRL for their double standards in dealing with the Folau saga.
"It doesn't faze me if he's allowed or he's not allowed to play. I definitely don't agree with the things he's said, but to me, I think we need to decide what we forgive and what we forget," Marshall said.
"Because I see, and this is my personal opinion, I see domestic violence as worse than what Israel did. I don't agree with that, and yet we let people who have done those actions come back into our game," Marshall told NRL 360.
"So where do we sit now with what's right and what's wrong?"
Folau's multimillion-dollar contract with Rugby Australia was terminated in May over a social media post in which he paraphrased a Bible passage, saying "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters" would go to hell unless they repented.
Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle terminated the Folau's multi-million dollar contract, on the advice of an independent panel, for "high level" breaches of the player's code of conduct.
Folau is currently in the midst of a legal battle over that decision.
