Former Hong Kong rugby player Tau Koloamatangi in Tonga limbo over eligibility confusion

Former Hong Kong rugby player Tau Koloamatangi has been forced to put his Tonga national debut on hold due to confusion over his eligibility.

The 26-year-old, who played for Hong Kong men’s Premiership side Valley up until March and represented Hong Kong against Belgium in 2019, was called up for Tonga’s test match against New Zealand last Saturday but was subsequently replaced in the squad as governing body World Rugby continues to determine his national team status. The All Blacks won 102-0 at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

Tonga manager Lano Fonua said he was “pretty confident” that Koloamatangi will get clearance to make his debut at some point, claiming that the prop may not have met the residency requirements for his single Hong Kong cap.

“He couldn’t get the clearance from World Rugby. That’s being worked through at the moment, but we couldn’t get it in time. It’s a case of whether he was actually available to play for Hong Kong in the first place. We’ll see what happens. We’re pretty confident he will play for Tonga and that capping by Hong Kong was not legal,” Fonua told New Zealand news outlet Stuff. He also told Agence France-Presse that it “could take weeks, possibly months” for the situation to reach a conclusion.

Hong Kong Rugby Union chief Robbie McRobbie confirmed he was aware of the situation and is working with the Tongan Rugby Union and World Rugby for clarifications and solutions.

Koloamatangi told the Post he could not speak on the matter.