The Rugby League World Cup provides Super League clubs with a unique opportunity to act in the transfer market \u2013 with teams able to bypass certain visa regulations.<\/p>\n
Any player coming to Super League has to comply to strict rules surrounding the number of matches they have played in the NRL, Queensland Cup or New South Wales Cup: but the World Cup provides a loophole of sorts.<\/p>\n
Anyone who plays one match in the tournament has a much better chance of qualifying for a visa to play in England. If they do that, and have played in either:<\/p>\n
A minimum of 40 per cent of a nation\u2019s matches since 2022 or;
\n50 per cent of international matches in the last two years<\/p>\n
Then they can get a visa. That means there are a fresh group of players who could become realistic transfer targets. But who are the players you need to watch out for over the next month? We\u2019ve had a look through the squads, spoke to our men on the ground Down Under and found some names..<\/p>\n
Tony Francis (Lebanon)<\/p>\n
Now, the name will likely be a familiar one \u2013 especially if you\u2019re a Huddersfield Giants supporter. They have been interested in Francis already this season but no deal has been done.. yet.<\/p>\n
He will make his Test debut this weekend against Papua New Guinea which means he now qualifies for a visa. He\u2019s not been featuring for the Titans in the NRL \u2013 like Abbas Miski before him a few years earlier, could some strong showings for the Cedars put him in the shop window?<\/p>\n
Khaled Rajab (Lebanon)<\/p>\n
Sticking with Michael Cheika\u2019s men, another name worth keeping an eye on is exciting half-back Khaled Rajab. He was in England four years ago with the Cedars, playing in three matches which did make him eligible for a move at the time.<\/p>\n
That never materialised, with Rajab opting to stay in the NRL given how he was touted for a career at the highest level. He played four times for the Bulldogs in 2023 but hasn\u2019t made a single NRL appearance since, instead playing NSW Cup for Newtown Jets.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d be an ideal fit for a Super League club looking to give a live-wire half an opportunity. Keep an eye out for him, starting this weekend when he starts against Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n
Bayleigh Bentley-Hape (Fiji)<\/p>\n
At the age of 26, Bentley-Hape\u2019s 10 NRL games in the last two seasons \u2013 just one has been this year for Souths \u2013 would not be enough to secure a visa. But now he\u2019s going to represent Fiji in the World Cup, he can get through the door.<\/p>\n
Which should be exciting for Super League clubs. Capable of playing across the whole backline, he has been a regular in the Rabbitohs\u2019 NSW Cup side this year. And he has family heritage in Super League; he is a relative of former Bradford Bulls icon Shontayne Hape.<\/p>\n
Dudley Dotoi (Papua New Guinea)<\/p>\n
The Queensland Cup\u2019s top try-scorer is going to make a big impact this autumn, we\u2019re predicting. Dotoi has spent the last three seasons playing Q Cup rugby for Townsville and has an eye-catching record of 62 tries in just 54 games. It\u2019s impressive in many ways that he hasn\u2019t been picked up by a club in Super League or the NRL yet.<\/p>\n
Some strong showings for the Kumuls \u2013 he will start on the wing this weekend \u2013 and that could all change.<\/p>\n
Ronald Philitoga (Fiji)<\/p>\n
Another prolific try-scorer from the Aussie lower grades who could come into view is winger Ronald Philitoga. He\u2019s actually on Fiji\u2019s interchange bench this weekend but could still get an opportunity. There is a lot of hype around Philitoga, who has played for a few different Q Cup teams but this year, has scored 18 in 19 for Northern Pride.<\/p>\n
Rhys Dakin (Cook Islands)<\/p>\n
In the same game this weekend, Cook Islands front rower Rhys Dakin is another to watch out for. He has spent his entire career in the NSW Cup to date and at the age of 25, now needs to play once in the World Cup to be eligible for a Super League move. That will happen this week, with him named on the bench to face Fiji.<\/p>\n
He has played for Newtown Jets and the Roosters\u2019 NSW Cup sides, but is yet to make his NRL debut. Our spies Down Under insist he is a player who could go well in Super League..<\/p>\n
Sanny Wabo (Papua New Guinea)<\/p>\n
Finally, it\u2019s back to the Kumuls. Fullback Sanny Wabo may have to bide his time for an opportunity this autumn, but he is on Papua New Guinea\u2019s six-man interchange bench this weekend. If he comes on, he\u2019s eligible to move to England and he will make his Test debut in the process.<\/p>\n
He has spent his entire career with PNG\u2019s Q Cup team to date, scoring 39 tries in 64 games. He has undoubted potential and could go a level higher, we\u2019re told. Keep an eye out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Rugby League World Cup provides Super League clubs with a unique opportunity to act in the transfer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":802548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-802547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}