Tyson Frizell turned 35 on Friday, and the present came a few days early: a spot in Tonga’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. When he takes the field, it will be his third World Cup, and the third country he has played one for. Few careers in rugby league have taken such a path.

The story starts in Wollongong. Frizell was born to a Welsh father from Swansea and a Tongan mother, and grew up in the Illawarra with the Corrimal Cougars. His first international jersey was Welsh. He debuted for Wales in 2011 and played at the 2013 World Cup in the United Kingdom, honouring his father’s side of the family.

Then the country of his birth called. Frizell was picked for the Kangaroos in 2016 and was part of the side that won the 2017 World Cup, one of 14 Australian appearances. By then he was a St George Illawarra forward and a regular for New South Wales, and in 2018 he played all three games of the Blues’ series win. He has played 16 Origins for NSW, a career that spans Cronulla, the Dragons and Newcastle, and more than 200 NRL games.

In 2023, he finally pulled on a Tongan jersey. Frizell played three Tests when Tonga toured England, inspired by the rise of the Mate Ma’a and by the chance to play in front of family who had never seen him in that jersey. In June, he said he hadn’t closed the door on going again. This week he was named in Kristian Woolf’s 24-man squad for the World Cup, with one player still to be cut before Tonga open against England in Perth on 17 October.

Across three nations, he has played around 22 Tests, a total that reflects how long he has stayed at the top of the game in more than one set of colours. He has done it as a back-rower who tackles, runs and defends for the full 80 minutes, which is the kind of reliability coaches rarely let go of.