Taqele Naiyaravoro willing to switch allegiance for 2023 World Cup
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Former Wallaby winger Taqele Naiyaravoro has revealed that he would switch allegiances to Fiji if a controversial rule allowing players to switch allegiance goes through.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Naiyarovoro said ‘I’m 28 and I’ve still got the best years ahead of me, so the opportunity to play for Fiji would be a dream come true,’
‘I have no regrets about playing for Australia. I was pretty young at the time when the opportunity came along and I went for it.
‘But Fiji has always been in my heart. It’s where I was born. When I left Fiji for Australia, my dream was to play for Fiji. I would 100 per cent commit to Fiji if that opportunity came along.’
Such a policy would benefit the likes of Tonga and Samoa bu Naiyaravoro believes rugby union should look at the success of a similar policy in rugby league.
However, Beaumont is likely to face resistance from other unions if he tries to push through the policy.
‘At the Rugby League World Cup, all the guys who didn’t play for Australia or New Zealand went back to Tonga,’ said Naiyaravoro.
‘Wouldn’t it make it more entertaining if the Pacific Islands had guys like Charles Piutau playing for them? It would bring the competition to life. Tonga reached the semi-finals of the rugby league World Cup and that’s something that’s never happened before.
