Damon Salesa, associate professor of Pacific Studies at Auckland University, claimed rugby union could "easily lose Pacific rugby" if its governors took a different stance to rugby league over eligibility. The former Rhodes Scholar also hit out at rugby union's governance representations, claiming rugby union boards are "as ethnically diverse as a 1980s Remuera Rotary Club". Hannah Peters Jason Taumalolo's decision to play for Tonga has opened up an eligibility debate in rugby union and rugby league, claims an Auckland academic. Hannah Peters Tongan rugby fans embraced the Rugby League World Cup. If rugby league made a different decision on eligibility to rugby union, "which is highly likely", union "could easily lose Pacific rugby".

Source: Stuff December 09, 2017 23:48 UTC