Kaeo Weekes and Stefano Utoikamanu are two players whose personal circumstances have helped influence the International Rugby League (IRL) to make two significant changes to eligibility criteria for Test matches moving forward.

IRL Chair Troy Grant announced that eligibility would now be extended to great grandparents.

In the case of Weekes, who has New Zealand Maori heritage through his parents and grandparents, he can now play for the Cook Islands because his great grandparents were born there.

Grant also announced the IRL had unanimously backed Tonga and Samoa being elevated to Tier 1 status to join Australia, New Zealand and England.

For Stefano Utoikamanu, who played for Samoa in 2023 and then debuted for Tonga in 2025, he now won’t be able to swap between the two although the IRL is working out an amnesty period with the RLPA so players have time to make an informed decision.

This could also influence players like Titans prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who has played for Samoa and Australia, as well as Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs, who has represented Tonga and Australia.

Grant said there would still be the avenue of ‘exceptional circumstances’ so players can apply to change Tier 1 nations, which Dane Gagai and Kalyn Ponga did (Australia to New Zealand) for the current World Cup.

Weekes, the talented Canberra Raiders fullback, was at the centre of a detailed submission from Cook Islands and coach Karmichael Hunt.

They argued for the change given the nation’s small population of less than 20,000 and the movement of Cook Islanders to larger neighbouring countries for work, study or other purposes.

“We have players sitting on the sidelines who the public deserves to see showing their skills on the international stage,” Grant said.

“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he (Kaeo Weekes) is a Kuki. He was one generation away from making him eligible on this occasion (2026 World Cup).

“We live in a multicultural world and particularly here in Australia we do have multiple heritage connections. My own children, if they were to play at the elite level, qualify for three nations.

“So I think it enhances rather than undermines the game in the future,” Grant said.

“It will still require an evidentiary process for proving that status. But we are of the firm belief this elevates nations in accessing players and deepens the depth of the player pool.

“It will also lift the competitiveness of matches across nations.”

He said the new ruling would start immediately so it would be in place for all international matches in 2027.

The second rule change – Tier 1 status for Tonga and Samoa – also has IRL support but has to be ratified after further discussion with both countries.

“We just want to go through a consultation process to make sure there’s no unintended consequences from the decision, so everyone clearly understands what elevation to Tier 1 means,” Grant said.

The most obvious is that players can’t swap between Tier 1 nations under current rules.

“From us as an IRL Board this elevation is an acknowledgement of their (Tonga, Samoa) amazing contribution to international rugby league essentially over the last decade,” he said.

“They are no doubt, as you’ve seen yourself, at the same level as Australia, New Zealand and England.

“Their performances in this World Cup, previous ones and the Pacific Championships is top-shelf and they deserved to be recognised as Tier 1 for the efforts on the field.

“This is to show them the respect they deserve … they have lit up international rugby league like we’ve never seen before. We’re enormously grateful for that and this is a thing that we believe is potentially overdue but well deserved.”

Samoa became the first Pacific nation to play in a World Cup final in 2022, while Tonga are the only Tier 2 nation to have defeated Australia, England and New Zealand.

Grant said there had been vast improvements in the governance and standard of the domestic game in both Tonga and Samoa. He added there were “many other nations” seeking to lift their standards for Tier 1 consideration in the future.

The change would be welcomed by Samoa coach Ben Gardiner, who spoke after Sunday night’s 44-12 loss to Australia in the semi-finals about wanting to keep the playing group together.

“We want players to commit to us for life … I think once they come here we want them to stay here,” Gardiner said.

“We don’t want them to be able to go anywhere else … whatever make that work we’ll support.”

Grant said the current rules forced a lot of players with dual eligibility to choose and in some cases it was a hard choice like for Utoikamanu, whose father is Tongan and his mother Samoan.

“We will be building in and articulating an amnesty period so players will be able to make a decision of which nation they wish to represent,” Grant said.

“But they will not be able to swap back and forth from year to year – I don’t think that’s necessarily healthy for the game.

“There is the ability under exceptional circumstances to make applications to switch.”