Outgoing Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga believes the call by superstar prop Payne Haas to defect to Samoa will make international rugby league more competitive

Australian media is reporting the 25-year-old Haas will join the likes of Brian To'o, Stephen Crichton and Jarome Luai as superstar players to have chosen Samoa over Australia in recent years.

A player eligible for a tier-one nation like Australia and a tier-two nation such as Samoa can change allegiance provided they do not represent both teams in the same calendar year.

The move is a significant boost for Samoa, who underlined their status as a new international powerhouse by making the World Cup final in 2022.

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