“Why pay to have his loyalty?” Matt Giteau, on Mark Nawaqanitawase.
Matt Giteau shook his head before he said a word about Mark Nawaqanitawase.
“He could be huge for us, but if he doesn’t want to be with us, then yeah, why pay for that?” Giteau said on Kick Offs and Kick Ons on Monday 19 October.
Drew Mitchell, on the same panel, thinks the talk of Fiji and Italy is a negotiating tactic.
Vote in the comments: should Rugby Australia pay to keep him in gold, or let him choose?
Mark Nawaqanitawase can choose from August 2027
Nawaqanitawase played 11 Tests on the Wallabies wing in 2022 and 2023, then left for two seasons with the Sydney Roosters. He finished his league career with two tries in the 19-18 grand final win over Newcastle on Sunday 4 October.
He now joins the Saitama Wild Knights in Japan, coached by Robbie Deans.
His agent, Milan Volavola-Shankar, told Code Sports that “Mark will not be available for international rugby this year”. He also said Nawaqanitawase “remains open to all options regarding his international future”.
From August 2027 he completes the three-year stand-down. He can then play for Fiji through his father or Italy through his grandmother. Either switch ends his Australia career. He would join the players switching nations before the 2027 World Cup.
Drew Mitchell’s tinfoil-hat theory
Mitchell, 71 Tests on the Wallabies wing, raised it in the show’s shout-outs segment, aimed at the player’s manager. He was upfront that it was a theory.
“Look, I mean, this is me putting my [tinfoil] hat on. Um I think as a collective we’re going to we’re getting [Mark] back into rugby via Japan paying for it.”
He named Panasonic, the company behind the Wild Knights, as the club “paying a hefty sum for his services”. In his reading, the Wallabies can then pick him without paying for him.
“maybe it’s a ploy by his manager to throw out the fact that he is eligible for Italy and Fiji… it’s just a bit of a ploy for maybe Rugby Australia to have to dip into their coffers if they want want him to play for us”.
Mitchell found the timing hard to accept. Nawaqanitawase returns to rugby in the year Australia hosts the World Cup.
“Now I understand he’s got heritage with both those two teams and you know that you know something that I’m not able to tap into but I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t wearing a gold jersey”.
He was still “hoping at least it’s just a smart ploy by his agent”.
Matt Giteau would not pay for it
Giteau, 103 Tests, was on a video link. He hesitated, worried his words would be taken out of context, then gave them.
“As a proud [Wallaby] and a proud Australian, I want people that want to play for our country to play for our country.”
“I know what [Mark] can bring and how good he’s been in league and what he could offer rugby. He could be huge for us, but if he doesn’t want to be with us, then yeah, why pay for that? Why pay to have his loyalty? I I just don’t agree with that. I think your loyalty should come just off the back of wanting to play for the jersey.”
Giteau’s generation did not ask
Giteau turned to Mitchell to make his last point.
“we we didn’t ask Australian rugby to to come in because at that time you honored and you want to go play for your country. If Japan’s paying for your salary, great. That’s good for us.”
Both are happy for Japanese money to carry his salary. They split on whether Rugby Australia should add any.
What Les Kiss has said
Les Kiss has not shown his hand. In Auckland, during Eden Park week, he said: “I haven’t heard back from him yet, but we’ll see.”
The agent’s public statements do not mention money, and Mitchell’s reading is his own. The decision can come from August, weeks before the home World Cup starts.
Kick Offs and Kick Ons has the full episode on YouTube. The Nawaqanitawase exchange starts at 32:12.
Your turn: pay him or let him go?
Mitchell reads the Fiji and Italy talk as a bargaining position and expects him in gold. Giteau would rather lose him than pay for his loyalty.
If Nawaqanitawase asks for money to stay, does Rugby Australia pay it? Yes or no in the comments.
Frequently asked
Can Mark Nawaqanitawase play for Fiji?
Yes, from August 2027, once his three-year stand-down from international rugby is complete. He qualifies for Fiji through his father and Italy through his grandmother.
Where is Mark Nawaqanitawase playing?
He joins the Saitama Wild Knights in Japan, coached by Robbie Deans, after two NRL seasons with the Sydney Roosters.
How many Tests has Mark Nawaqanitawase played for the Wallabies?
Eleven, in 2022 and 2023, before his switch to rugby league.
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