'Defining moment': How Taumalolo changed the game

Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua has led tributes to Jason Taumalolo from around the Pacific and across the game ahead of the inspirational Cowboys star’s 300th NRL appearance in Saturday’s match against Penrith.

Taumalolo, whose on-field performances have earned comparisons to Sonny Bill Williams and Sam Burgess, has been a key figure for the Cowboys since their 2015 premiership win and 2016 grand final appearance.

However, his influence on the game extends far beyond North Queensland, with Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua leading a Tongan delegation that will travel to Townsville for the match.

The superstar forward’s decision to turn his back on New Zealand at the 2017 World Cup to play for Tonga changed international rugby league for the better and inspired the likes of Isaiya Katoa, Payne Haas and Val Holmes to represent their Pacific heritage.

Just nine years later, the ARLC is preparing to host the most competitive World Cup since the concept was established in 1954, with Tonga and Samoa considered genuine contenders and Fiji, PNG and Cook Islands on the rise.

"Jason Taumalolo's 300-game milestone is more than a personal achievement - it’s a proud moment for the Kingdom of Tonga,” said Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua, who is also Chairman of Tonga Rugby League.

“It reflects the exceptional talent our nation continues to produce and marks a new chapter in rugby league history as the first Tongan to reach this extraordinary feat in a game that holds a special place in the hearts of our people.

Jason's impact extends far beyond the football field. His decision to represent Tonga at the peak of his career was a defining moment for rugby league in the Pacific.

“By choosing country over personal gain, he inspired a generation of young athletes to wear their heritage with pride and helped transform Tonga into a force on the international stage.

“On behalf of Tonga Rugby League and the people of the Kingdom of Tonga, we not only congratulate Jason on this remarkable achievement, but also thank him for the dedication, sportsmanship, and excellence he has demonstrated throughout his distinguished career."

With Andrew Fifita and Sio Siua Taukeiaho joining Taumalolo’s Pacific revolution, Tonga stunned New Zealand in 2017 before beating Great Britain and Australia in 2019, while Samoa beat England in 2022 to qualify for the World Cup final.

Tonga beat the Kiwis to qualify for the 2024 Pacific Cup final, going down 20-14 to Australia, while Samoa played in last year's decider against New Zealand.

International Rugby League Chairman Troy Grant expressed gratitude to Taumalolo on behalf of the game.

“As the game celebrates Jason’s achievement in playing 300 NRL matches for North Queensland, I would like to take the opportunity to thank him for what he has done for international rugby league,” Grant said.

Jason’s selfless decision to play for Tonga in 2017 has elevated the international game to another level and inspired players from all nations to represent their heritage.

“He commands enormous respect throughout the game for the impact he has had and on behalf of International Rugby League I congratulate Jason for his 300th milestone and look forward to watching him play at the World Cup.”

Katoa, Addin Fonua-Blake and Kulikefu Finefeiuaki are among the Tongan team-mate who chose to play for their heritage because of Taumalolo.

However, it isn’t just Tongan players who wanted to pay tribute to Taumalolo, with Holmes (Cook Islands), Reuben Cotter (Australia) and John Bateman (England) - all of whom have played alongside him at the Cowboys - also hailing his impact on the game.

“I like how a lot of players are choosing to represent their heritage and Jason Taumalolo paved the way for that when he chose to play for Tonga in 2017,” Cotter said.

“That set the standard for players to pledge their allegiance to their culture. He started that and now you see a lot of players following.

"We are starting to reap the benefits of it now with the standard of footy that has been played at international level the last couple of years.

“When we played Tonga in the (2024) Pacific Cup final, all you could see was a sea of red in the crowd, so you just look at that support and that’s because Jase stood up for the Tonga jersey. He is like a king over there now.”

Taumalolo, whose standing as a player was underscored by the record 10-year contract he signed with the Cowboys in 2017, had played 10 Tests for the Kiwis but a change to the international eligibility rules enabled him to turn the game on its head.

Prior to 2017, players who declared their allegiance to a country were often unable to play for a second nation for whom they were also eligible.

The eligibility rules were loosened ahead of the World Cup so that players who missed selection for Australia, New Zealand or England could switch to play for a Tier 2 nation like Tonga, Samoa or Wales.

However, Taumalolo and Fifita shocked the rugby league world when they withdrew from New Zealand and Australia to play for Tonga and other players have followed suit.

“That has a massive impact on me,” said Katoa, the emerging Dolphins superstar who is eligible for Australia and New Zealand but grew up only wanted to play for Tonga.

“I felt like that is where we started to see that whole shift with Jason, and Andrew at the time, deferring from playing for the Kiwis and the Kangaroos.

“That was one of the biggest decisions they would have made in their footy careers, and you see now the impact that has had, not only on Tonga but with the rest of the Pacific nations.

Seeing guys like Payne Haas going back to Samoa, it encourages kids to go and play for their parents and their grandparents and be proud of who they are and of their culture.

Finefeiuaki, the Dolphins secondrower who made his Origin debut for Queensland at the MCG, is another young star influenced by Taumalolo’s decision.

“I grew up wanting to play for the Kiwis but then once I saw Jason defect to Tonga and saw how happy my family was – especially my Tongan side – it made me want to be like Jase and try to play for Tonga as well,” said Finefeiuaki, who debuted for Tonga in last year’s Pacific Championships.

“For him to do that at that stage of his career, when he was in his prime, it just made the whole Tongan community come together.”

Fonua-Blake, who is considered one of the best props in the game, played for the Kiwis at the 2017 World Cup but after seeing the impact Taumalolo had he decided to make the switch to Tonga the following year.

He has since gone on to play 18 Tests for Tonga, most of which have been alongside Taumalolo.

“I obviously followed in the footsteps of Jason and Andrew. I didn’t really know the impact their decision was going to have,” Fonua-Blake said.

“Obviously on the back of what Jason, Andrew and Siua Taukeiaho did, and the choices that they made, you fast forward a couple of years and Payne Haas, one of the biggest names ever, defects to Samoa so it has only grown the game.

“It has made the international game a better spectacle when you have got the best players playing for their respective countries.”

Haas, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jeremiah Nanai and Murray Taulagi have followed suit to help Samoa become a Pacific powerhouse after playing for Australia or New Zealand.

Holmes is another big-name star to decide to represent his heritage after switching to Cook Islands for RLWC202 following a 21-Test career for Australia, which included World Cup wins in 2017 and 2022.

He will line up alongside KL Iro and Brendan Piakura, whose fathers also played for Cook Islands

“Jason started it with Andrew Fifita. Jason could have kept playing for the Kiwis and Andrew with Australia, so I thought that was a pretty good initiative to do that and a lot of boys have followed them,” said Holmes, who played with Fifita at the Sharks and Taumalolo at the Cowboys.

They changed the international game, because back then the Aussies and New Zealanders used to get paid a lot more for Tests or if you won the World Cup.

"It was more to make their families proud and to represent their heritage and show what it meant to them.”

Bateman played for England against Taumalolo in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, scoring a late try in the 20-18 defeat of Tonga, and the Cowboys forward hopes to line up opposite him again when the two nations meeting in Perth on October 17.  

“For me, I look at him as one of the goats like Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams, so it was pretty crazy to me last year to go into a team and see him … and just to get to know him on a more personal level.

“I think just for what he's done for the game - what he's done for Tonga, but most obviously what he's done for the Cowboys - obviously it's been fantastic.

“I think it’s 17 years he's been at the club and it’s just a fantastic achievement to play 300 games.”