Jason Taumalolo withdrew himself from the New Zealand World Cup team on Wednesday opting to join Tonga, the team that he previously represented in the 2013 World Cup.
In a huge boost for Tonga, they will now fancy their chances of making the final.
The withdrawal was based on Kiwi's coach David Kidwell's controversial decision to sack former Kiwis captain Jesse Bromwich and Gold Coast Titans second-rower Kevin Proctor following their disciplinary issues after the ANZAC Test in Canberra.
The New Zealand team is now in tatters without their regular combatants. A few of the unselected/unavailable players include Tahu Harris, Jason Taumalolo, Kieran Foran, Issac Luke, Jesse Bromwich, and Kevin Proctor.
New Zealand play Tonga on November 11 at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium, in a match that will see Taumalolo play against his former teammates.
Taumalolo has been in unstoppable form this season running a record 5000m for the North-Queensland Cowboys.
The 2016 Dally M Medal winner was controversially snubbed from receiving the Lock of the Year award.
Comments are closed.