England’s rugby powerhouse Mako Vunipola is stirring up the rugby world with talks of donning the red jersey of Tonga.
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The Saracens stalwart, boasting an impressive 79 caps for England and nine appearances for the British and Irish Lions, bid adieu to his England career post the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Now, the prospect of a national team switch is on the horizon.
“Obviously I’d love to play for them,” revealed Mako when speaking to BT Sport.
“But it’s difficult because it would be unfair to those back on the island; to see myself as an old man coming in and taking that opportunity away from them.
‘It’s a catch-22 really. You’d like to see people not being tied down to one (country) and being able to represent those countries.
“But you’d also like locals to have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves by playing for their country and on the back of that getting contracts overseas.”
Five England players set to swap nations after falling out of favour
World Rugby’s latest eligibility rules have opened up the door for several prominent England players to potentially switch allegiances to different countries.
#1. Ollie Hassell-Collins (Wales)
The Leicester Tigers winger, who was given his debut by Borthwick in 2023, has expressed his willingness to potentially represent Wales in 2026.
Despite earning two caps for England during last year’s Six Nations, the 25-year-old hasn’t been included in Steve Borthwick’s squad since then. Notably, he was absent from England A’s recent triumph over Portugal.
Ahead of this year’s Six Nations, Gatland had mentioned Hassell-Collins several times, especially during the discussion surrounding another dual-qualified winger, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
“I have seen Gatland’s interview,” Hassell-Collins told the Telegraph.
“I’ve got two caps for England, and obviously I’m English. But if I don’t see anything in the next few years then it’s definitely something that I would consider.
“I would qualify [for Wales] the year of the World Cup – that is, if he still wants me. Wales is still part of who I am.
“My grandma was Welsh and I still have family over there. It’s still a part of me – and I’d never turn it down – but for now it’s England for me.”