Chiefs prop Ben Tāmeifuna has withdrawn his pledge to represent Tonga in the ʻĪkale-Tahi’s End of Year tour and says he won’t make a decision on which national team he will play for in 2015 World Cup until April.
Tāmeifuna, 23, declared last month he would play for the Tongan team when they will play against Georgia, Scotland and the United States this month.
He said the change of heart came about after he agreed to fight rugby league figure Willie Mason in December’s Fight for Life.
“I pulled out of the tour so I was eligible to play for the All Blacks but who knows what will happen after April next year,” Tāmeifuna told TVNZ.
This means if he isn’t in the All Blacks plan by April he will instead represent Tonga at next year’s Rugby World Cup.
“I want to play the World Cup next year,” he said. “Whether it’s the black jersey or red jersey.”
