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Joe Tekori's World Cup revelation on Instagram will hit Samoa hard

By Josh Raisey
Joe Tekori was expected to feature at the World Cup with Samoa, but the Toulouse lock has announced his Test retirement (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

Toulouse lock Joe Tekori has announced his international retirement only weeks before the start of the World Cup in Japan in September. 

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The giant Samoan earned 37 caps for his country since making his debut in 2007. 

However, with the latest finals just two months away from starting, the forward has announced on Instagram that “my time has come” and that it is now time to “focus my rugby career on the club I am playing for now”. 

At the age of 35, this was surely going to be the 20-stone lock’s international swansong, but he has instead decided to remain in France. 

He is one of a number of players from tier two nations that have opted to miss the World Cup this year in order to stay in France. This was his post:

View this post on Instagram

Today i would like to announce my ending of my International Rugby Career. It was not an easy decision to make but i am blessed and greatful to have been able to put on the blue jersey and play to represent my beautiful Country Samoa. My time has come and to now focus my rugby career on the club i am playing for now. Starting my first Samoa selection 2003 and ending my last game in 2018 My 3 rugby world cup tours to my last game playing for the Manu Samoa last year against Germany for the qualification for the Worldcup 2019. Would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me especially to my Wife and kids for holding it down while i was away for weeks even months and to my family back in Nz and in Samoa Nothing is impossible without the love and support from them. Faafetai tele lava mo tapuaiga ma fautuaga. I also Want to wish the Manu Samoa boys all the best for their preparations for the RUGBY WORLDCUP and for the following years to come. Thank you Samoa Rugby it has been an honour?? Faafetai tele lava Joe Tekori

A post shared by Iosefa Tekori (@joe_tekori) on

Given the lucrative deals that players have in the Top 14, it is much more financially rewarding to miss international fixtures, particularly with the Pacific Island nations whose players earn a fraction for their country of what they earn with their clubs playing. 

Tekori comes off the back of a brilliant campaign with Toulouse, as he played a starring role in the French giants winning the Top 14 and reaching the semi-final of the Champions Cup. 

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He would walk into the Samoa team on merit and feature in their key pool matches against Ireland, Scotland and Japan, but it is understandable if he feels that an international tournament of such magnitude is a step too far at this point in his career. 

Nonetheless, questions will once again be asked as to whether the French clubs are coercing some of their players to avoid the World Cup and play the entire season in the Top 14. This has been a major concern of some people and Tekori’s retirement will undoubtedly spark that debate again. 

For now, Toulouse have started pre-season ahead of the defence of their domestic title and will be buoyed by the fact that the powerful second row is remaining at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.  

WATCH: Part one of the two-part RugbyPass documentary on what fans can expect to experience at the World Cup finals in Japan

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Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 9 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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