Ex-Wales midfielder Willis Halaholo has made his Tonga debut three years after he last played in the Six Nations. <\/p>\n
The 35-year-old from Auckland<\/a> originally qualified for the Welsh under the residency rule. He joined Cardiff in 2016 and was handed a Test debut by Wayne Pivac in 2021, going on to play on nine occasions. Injuries then struck<\/a>, and he went uncapped during the Warren Gatland era.<\/p>\n After getting released by the cash-strapped Cardiff at the end of the 2023\/24 season, Halaholo secured a 2024 NPC contract with Bay of Plenty.<\/p>\n He has since linked up with Tonga<\/a> in recent weeks after completing the mandatory three-year stand-down period between representing different countries.<\/p>\n \u201c19 years since I last went back\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selection in the Pacific Nations Cup<\/a> squad allowed Halaholo to travel back to Tonga for the first time in nearly two decades, and he has now made his Test debut for the Ikale Tahi, coming off the bench during the second half of Saturday\u2019s 10-32 loss to Fiji in Suva.<\/p>\n