Rugby: Pacific Island players push for right to represent home nations

The issue of dual eligibility is firmly back on the rugby agenda as Pacific Islanders again push for the right to represent their home nations after playing for tier one teams.

Wallabies vice-captain Samu Kerevi has since backtracked on recent comments he made at a luncheon where he expressed a desire to play for Fiji at the 2023 World Cup, saying he was having a laugh and taken out of context.

With Kerevi en route to a three-year deal in Japan and, therefore, precluded from playing for the Wallabies, as he does not meet their 60 test threshold to be selected from abroad, the truth may lie somewhere in between.

As it stands, Kerevi cannot play for Australia or Fiji.

Many others, including former All Blacks Steven Luatua, Charles Piutau and Seta Tamanivalu, are in the same situation, locked out of international rugby and blockaded from representing their heritage.

While Kerevi attempts to distance himself from the debate, Fijian-born former All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko is far from joking with his plea for a rule change.

"I think the eligibility change is a no-brainer because it makes rugby balanced," Rokocoko said. "You see the competitiveness of the Island teams at the World Cup. Imagine the next tournament if everyone is available. In a World Cup tournament you want the best players playing – you want everyone involved.

"I'm not sure who is against it up in the top office but for rugby's sake and for the players' sake it needs to change. I pray they will come up with a solution so the boys can go back to their home countries."

Rokocoko presented the Fijian team jerseys prior to their historic 21-14 victory over France in Paris last November. Only then did he truly appreciate what he had missed.

"I told the boys I always wanted to know what it felt like to be in that room. You don't know until you're there but you feel a belonging because that's where your bloodline is from. Some players miss that opportunity and some players want that opportunity."

Rokocoko revealed that after moving from New Zealand to Bayonne in late 2011 he and other former All Blacks explored the possibility of playing on the sevens circuit in order to qualify for Fiji at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

"Ben Ryan messaged me and asked if I was keen. I said 'yeah' and then I needed the release from the club to play two tournaments. To play for your home nation, your motherland, is a great opportunity.

"Sam Tuitupou, Ben Atiga, everyone was messaging each other saying shall we all go for it.

"Two or three months after that I'm not sure what happened but once they knew a lot of guys were going to play for the sevens team on the World Circuit that year something changed again.

"There was confusion about whether it was on or not."

The Herald understands Tamanivalu, who was born in Fiji but played three tests for the All Blacks before moving to Bordeaux, is among those keen to represent his home nation.

The current avenue to switch allegiance involves a three year stand-down period and participation in either a regional Olympic sevens qualification tournament or four rounds of the World Series.

Tim Nanai-Williams ticked this box to qualify for Samoa but, as Fiji coach John McKee explains, gaining a release for months at a time is unattainable for the vast majority of those committed to European or Japanese clubs.

"It nearly makes it impossible for a professional player to do it," McKee said.

"I know there's a number of Fijians currently playing professional rugby who played a small number of tests for either New Zealand or Australia who would love to have some pathway back to representing Fiji.

"For us that would be a bonus but it's a complicated process. There's a lot of politics involved in world rugby and the difference between the southern and northern hemisphere.

"My feeling is the southern hemisphere unions would probably support it but the northern hemisphere unions may not."

When this issue was raised during the World Cup in Japan, New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey pointed the finger squarely at Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England for previously voting it down.

Impey made it clear the Home Nations were guilty of double standards by welcoming several Kiwis into their national teams, while denying the Island nations the chance to embrace their own.

"I mean I'm very tempted, I probably won't go quite this far, but I'm very tempted to say it's virtually colonialism," Impey told Radio New Zealand.

The sense has always been a fear exists from the Home Unions that if former Polynesian internationals were granted the right to represent their Island nations, they would then become major forces, particularly at World Cups.

For Rokocoko and those at the heart of the debate representing their countries is simply a passionate lure. Yet there appears no movement, no appetite for change, from rugby's established voting bloc.

"You can see now with Fiji rugby encouraging their players to get contracts overseas because they are playing in high pressure, high intensity competitions," Rokocoko said.

"That's why Fiji rugby has gone to another level because the majority of those guys are playing that week in week out in Europe.

"If you can get all those boys playing for their home nations the standard of rugby for all those other smaller tier teams would go up another level."