Payne Haas makes it official, signs on to play for Samoa at 2026 Rugby World Cup. The Australian rugby league player who has had the honour of wearing the green and gold jersey for his country. Today, he wants to live up to his Samoan culture and make his family proud. This choice comes after his own profound personal awakening regarding his biracial identity. He notices a deep responsibility to his mother, Joan Taufua, who is of Samoan heritage, as well as to his Filipino and Swiss lineages.
Haas’s path to making this crucial call started when he was playing in the Pacific Championships matchup against Samoa in Townsville earlier this year. As he took the field and listened to the national anthems, memories came rushing back from his youth. Haas remembered an emotional moment when he was playing for Australia against Samoa. When his mum turned up last week, as the anthems played, all his memories came rushing back of her forcing them to sing the Samoan national anthem in the car. This emotional moment tapped into his dream of playing for Samoa and getting in touch with the Taufua side of his family.
The impact of former Kiwi star Jason Taumalolo was key in persuading Haas to make the move. When Taumalolo switched his allegiance from New Zealand to Tonga at the 2017 World Cup, he opened the door for players like Haas to pursue their heritage. Haas expressed gratitude for this trailblazer, stating, “Jason Taumalolo paved the way for us, the next generation.” As a freshman, he hopes to make his uncle Mark Taufua proud. Having earned eight caps for Samoa as a player, Mark has returned to the Test side as part of the coaching staff.
Haas has already talked with new Australia coach Kevin Walters over his call. Walters’s response was enthusiastic, and she quickly understood why Haas had made the decision she did. To receive my mother’s blessing is everything. I just want to make her really proud and do our Taufua name really proud,” Haas said. He is particularly looking forward to representing the country of his heritage and wants to inspire other players who share that heritage to join him one day.
He will wear a red Samoan ula around his neck. That’ll be the case when he runs out for his first Test for Samoa against Tonga at Suncorp Stadium on October 26. “It is a massive honour to play at Suncorp against Tonga,” he remarked. Haas has the goal of bringing Samoa their first World Cup win, with the talented squad capable of going all the way according to his belief. “I feel like we can win it with the team we have got now. We have fantastic players, and it’s our ambition to win the World Cup,” he said.
