Fekitoa in support of proposed changes

Published date05 November 2021
Publication titleSports Tab
Fekitoa was due to make his debut for Tonga against England this weekend, returning to the test arena more than three years after his final appearance for the All Blacks.

Despite being born and raised in Tonga, there was only one route to being eligible to play for the nation. If a player is eligible for a second country and has not played international rugby for three years, they can apply to play for that second nation in an Olympic sevens event. If approved, and picked, they can switch allegiances in all formats.

Fekitoa represented Tonga in its unsuccessful bid to qualify for the Olympics, and became eligible to represent Tonga in the 15-man game in doing so.

But while a shoulder injury has ruled Fekitoa out of his Tongan debut, he said it should not be such a hard process for players to represent more than one nation in their careers.

‘‘There are a lot of...

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