Wallaby duo to return to Tigers during Test breaks

Editor

Leicester Tigers have announced that they will force Tatafu Polota-Nau and Matt Toomua to fly back to England during the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Polota-Nau (hooker) and Toomua (centre) were both named in Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika’s provisional squad for their Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship opener with New Zealand in Sydney on August 18.

However, if Polota-Nau or Toomua are retained by Cheika, they will have to return to their Premiership club during the Rugby Championship’s rest weekends.

Leicester Tigers revealed the news via a statement which 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 1 and 4 of the Gallagher Premiership.”

Polota-Nau, who qualifies for international selection under Rugby Australia’s overseas player selection policy rules for players with 60 Test appearances or more, has been named after being rested for the Wallabies’ recent series against Ireland in Australia.

Tigers centre Toomua qualifies for selection, despite having only made 33 Test appearances, after it was announced earlier this week that he has agreed terms to return to Australia with the Melbourne Rebels in 2019 at the conclusion of the upcoming Northern Hemisphere season.