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

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:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0QcGPVozRf/

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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G
GrahamVF 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.


"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"


After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

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