Northampton Saints powerhouse winger Taquele Naiyaravoro says he would happily switch allegiances to Fiji for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, if such a move was available to him.
In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Nik Simon, Naiyaravoro said he would ‘100 perc cent’ play for Fiji.
Taqele Naiyaravoro:
• Very big
• Very fast
• Very scaryYou don’t see many people swatting Billy V away
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— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) September 16, 2018
‘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,’ he told Sportsmail.
‘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.’
LIST | 5 England players who could swap nations for 2023 World Cup
We’ve not included Billy Vunipola, as we think he is likely to be still in the reckoning for England in three years time.
1. Manu Tuilagi (Samoa)
- Current number of caps: 41
- Age at the start of RWC 2023: 32
- Did you know: He was named Manusamoa, after the name of the Samoan national team
The England centre, who was born in Fogapoa and came to the UK at the age of 13, is one of a clutch of Pacific Island players whose eligibility status could change if the restrictions are relaxed. He is the younger brother of Freddie, Henry, Alesana, Anitelea and Sanele Vavae Tuilagi, all of whom are Samoan internationals and also played for Leicester. It would be fantastic for the powerhouse to complete the set.
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