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Tigers in club v country battle

REACTION: Leicester Tigers will force both Tatafu Polota-Nau and Matt Toomua to fly back to the UK during the Rugby Championship the Premiership club have revealed.

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82-Test veteran Polota-Nau has been selected in the Wallabies Bledisloe Cup squad after Michael Cheika elected to rest the 33-year old in the June Ireland Series.

However, should either Toomua or Polota-Nau be retained by Cheika, they will be expected to return to the UK on the Rugby Championship’s rest weekends.

In a statement, Leicester Tigers said: “If retained in the final squad for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship series, the pair are expected to return to Tigers during the Rugby Championship rest periods, which coincide with rounds one and four of the Premiership,”

That fact that the Tigers will force each player to make the massive 19 000 mile return trip to the UK suggests the club are keen on a getting their fair share of their marquee signings.

If the pair are required to do this, it could inform Cheika’s selection choices, with the very real prospect of jet lag and travel fatigue likely to affect both players if retained.

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Last week it was revealed that Toomua would return to Australia in 2019, something the Tigers have agreed to. News that both players will be out of action for the opening rounds of the competition will hardly delight Matt Connor and the wider Tigers setup.

Unlike Toomua however, Polota-Nau qualifies under the Giteau Law and could potentially play for Australia in the 2019 Rugby World Cup while still being based in the UK.

Toomua put pen to paper last week on a two and a half year deal with Rugby Australia and the Melbourne Rebels, to return to Vodafone Super Rugby next season.

The veteran playmaker is now immediately eligible for the Qantas Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup campaign which kicks off at ANZ Stadium against New Zealand on Saturday 18 August.

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The 33-Test utility back last played for the Wallabies in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test of 2016 before joining Leicester Tigers in England’s Premiership. He played this weekend at 10 in an Australia XV that beat a Super Rugby SV in a trial match at the Leichhardt Oval.

The squad features six uncapped players including rookie sensation Jordan Petaia, who shone in Friday night’s Bledisloe Cup trial at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.

Toomua put pen to paper last week on a two and a half year deal with Rugby Australia and the Melbourne Rebels, to return to Vodafone Super Rugby next season.

The veteran playmaker is now immediately eligible for the Qantas Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup campaign which kicks off at ANZ Stadium against New Zealand on Saturday 18 August.

The 33-Test utility back last played for the Wallabies in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test of 2016 before joining Leicester Tigers in England’s Premiership. He played this weekend at 10 in an Australia XV that beat a Super Rugby SV in a trial match at the Leichhardt Oval.

The squad features six uncapped players including rookie sensation Jordan Petaia, who shone in Friday’s Bledisloe Cup trial at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.

Australia squad:

Forwards: Jermaine Ainsley, Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Folau Faingaa, Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper (captain), Sekope Kepu, Tolu Latu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson, Izack Rodda, Pete Samu, Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Caleb Timu, Lukhan Tui, Taniela Tupou

Backs: Tom Banks, Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Jack Maddocks, Billy Meakes, Sefa Naivalu, Jordan Petaia, Nick Phipps, Joe Powell, Curtis Rona, Matt Toomua

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