Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh has raised the prospect of Jarome Luai making a shock bid for the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup campaign next year after opening the door on a potential code switch for the Wests Tigers star. It comes as NRL suitors Parramatta face backlash over their short-term play for the PNG-bound playmaker, who looks set to leave the Tigers at the end of the season.
The Eels quickly emerged as the frontrunners to sign Luai for 2027 after the Tigers agreed to release him early, ahead of a move to the PNG Chiefs in 2028. But a shock switch to rugby union could be on the cards for the playmaker next year after Waugh admitted that RA was looking to attract “the best talent in Australia and around the world” after addressing the situation with Luai.
Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh (L) has opened the door for Wests Tigers star Jarome Luai (R) to make a shock code switch in 2027 ahead of the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign. Pic: Getty
“Our proposition is very different to an NRL proposition and our door’s always open,” Waugh told News Corp. “We want to create an environment that attracts the best talent in Australia and around the world, and the door’s always open for those that want to come and experience that experience.”
Luai is on a reported $1.2 million contract at the Tigers and it’s understood the NRL club would be willing to chip in around $200,000 of his deal for 2027. RA may not be able to match the huge salary that Luai earns in the NRL, but Waugh insists the lure of playing in a home World Cup for the Wallabies was something money can’t buy.
“There’s more to sport than the finances and there’s nothing like representing the Wallabies and your country on the world stage in front of your home audience,” he added. You just cannot replace that in anything else you do.”
Eels slammed over ‘band-aid’ move for Jarome Luai
The Eels appear to be Luai’s most likely landing spot for 2027 but the short-term play for the PNG-bound star has seen the club come under fire. Parramatta also signed Jonah Pezet on a one-year deal for 2026 before he links with Brisbane next season but it’s failed to work out. And veteran NRL journalist Dean Ritchie reckons the play for Luai is yet another ‘band-aid’ solution that reeks of “desperation” from Parramatta.
The Parramatta Eels have been criticised after emerging as frontrunners to land Wests Tigers star Jarome Luai on a one-year deal for 2027. Pic: Getty
He told NRL 360 on Monday night: “”I don’t agree with it. I think Parramatta just aren’t learning their lesson here. You throw in the World Cup this year, it doesn’t finish till mid-November. Then you’ve got the RLPA sanctioned holidays, so he wouldn’t come back until what, mid-January, late February?
“So the deal for next year is only for probably eight or nine months. Parramatta’s got to learn what’s in their soul, what’s in their heart, what’s in their emblem, and stop signing these band-aid deals for one year.
“I just question the culture that they’re trying to build by signing these blokes for one year and then making them better players potentially to go and ply their trade somewhere else. It just smacks of desperation to me.”
