Tamworth product Paddy Ryan features among a strong 26-man NSW Waratahs squad named for the Global Tens in Brisbane.
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The prop forward joins Israel Folau, Tom Robertson and Lote Tuqiri, yes Lote Tuqiri in the squad.
When Tuqiri received a text message from NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson in November asking if he’d be interested in coming out of retirement for a cameo, the dual international was genuinely torn as to whether he should commit.
“I was interested, but I didn't give him a firm answer,” Tuqiri said. “We conversed over Christmas and New Year's and I finally got over the line in convincing myself. I just didn’t know whether I was confident in myself getting it done and I finally came to that realisation only a couple of weeks ago.
Tuqiri joins Chris Latham (Queensland Reds), Stephen Larkham and Andrew Walker (ACT Brumbies) and Morgan Turinui (Melbourne Rebels) in the old brigade of former Wallabies who will dust of the boots as wildcard players.
The 37-year-old – whose last professional football match came in 2014 for the South Sydney Rabbitohs – will line up in the sky blue of NSW after 89 appearances for the Waratahs between 2003 and 2009.
The Waratahs squad is headlined by Israel Folau and will include three other players who featured for the Wallabies in 2016 in Tom Robertson, Tolu Latu and Taqele Naiyaravoro.
Nick Phipps, Bernard Foley, Rob Horne, Michael Hooper, Sekope Kepu, Dean Mumm and Will Skelton have been rested for February 11-12 event.
