Five tries in thirty-one minutes against Counties Manukau, a hat-trick in Round 1: Kyren Taumoefolau has scored eight tries in three NPC matches. Those numbers take on particular weight seven weeks out from a date that could reopen his international career.
Five tries in thirty-one minutes against Counties Manukau, a hat-trick in Round 1: Kyren Taumoefolau has scored eight tries in three NPC matches, from 240 minutes on the pitch. Those numbers take on particular weight seven weeks out from a date that could reopen his international career.
What the rule says
Switching nations is governed by World Rugby’s Regulation 8, in the version in force since 1 January 2022. Three conditions must be met: the player must have been born in the country he wants to switch to, or have a parent or grandparent born there; he must not have played an international match for his first nation for thirty-six months; and the transfer, which can only happen once in a career, must be approved by World Rugby’s regulations committee.
These conditions apply specifically to changing nations. For a first selection, Regulation 8.1 opens two other doors, sixty months of registration in the country or ten years of cumulative residence: that is the route taken by players developed in France without being born there. Those routes close as soon as a player has been capped elsewhere.
Taumoefolau meets the first criterion: he was born on 8 May 2003 in Blenheim, in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. That leaves the thirty-six-month count.
One date: 8 October 2023
The wing played for Tonga in 2023, winning six caps according to international records. Our records list four, the last of them on 8 October 2023 against Romania at the World Cup in France (45-24). He scored a try that day after coming off the bench.
| Date | Match | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 22 July 2023 | Fiji – Tonga | 36-20 |
| 29 July 2023 | Japan – Tonga | 21-16 |
| 10 August 2023 | Tonga – Canada | 28-3 |
| 8 October 2023 | Tonga – Romania | 45-24 |
It is that last date that counts. The thirty-six months therefore end on 8 October, as Ruck pointed out.
A season that makes his case
The rugby case has been building for two years. With the Chiefs, the wing scored ten tries in thirteen Super Rugby matches in his most recent season. The year before, with Moana Pasifika, he scored nine in twelve games.
| Competition | Matches | Tries |
|---|---|---|
| Super Rugby with the Chiefs | 13 | 10 |
| Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika (previous season) | 12 | 9 |
| NPC 2026 with Tasman (3 rounds) | 3 | 8 |
Sunday’s outing remains the most spectacular: the five tries came in the 19th, 24th, 32nd, 45th and 50th minutes, in a Tasman win away to Counties Manukau (50-35). The province had previously beaten North Harbour (31-29) and lost heavily away to Hawke’s Bay (50-19).
There is nothing so far to suggest the All Blacks have started the process, and no application can be lodged before the deadline anyway. But the calendar is already written.
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