Israel Folau is attempting to return to rugby league at the end of the year to represent Tonga in Tests against Great Britain and the Kangaroos.
However, it is understood there will be a strong push by members of the board of the Rugby League International Federation to veto the move at an upcoming meeting.
The Tonga National Rugby League released a statement on Monday to say the former Storm and Broncos star and his younger brother John, who played eight NRL matches for Parramatta in 2015-16, had made themselves available for Mate Ma'a Tonga.
Both brothers have been playing rugby union in recent seasons for the Waratahs with Israel also representing the Wallabies before his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia due to a homophobic social media post in April.
Israel is in the midst of a court dispute with Rugby Australia, seeking a multimillion-dollar sum in lost wages following his sacking in May.
He played eight Tests for the Kangaroos from 2007-09. His last year in the NRL was 2010 and played 91 games across two stints with Melbourne and Brisbane, scoring 73 tries.
“I don’t want to bring any of my personal matters into this and I am grateful that the IRLF have endorsed my availability,” he said in the TNRL statement.
“What I will do now is focus on playing great rugby league and do my talking on the field.”
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/09/23...s-bid-to-make-rugby-league-return-with-tonga/