NZ Kiwis may lose veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves through the opening stages of their Rugby League World Cup campaign, as he serves out an NRL suspension for dangerous contact.
The Sydney Roosters enforcer was one of five players sin-binned during an ill-tempered playoff clash against South Sydney Rabbitohs last weekend, with Roosters forward Victor Radley and Souths winger Taane Milne serving two separate spells each on the sideline.
Waerea-Hargreaves, 33, has entered an early guilty plea for slamming counterpart Tom Burgess into the ground and copped a three-game ban, but with the Roosters now eliminated from the post-season, his next chance to serve that suspension will come during New Zealand's bid for the World Cup crown.
If he is selected in the Kiwis squad, he would likely miss their warm-up game against Leeds, and their opening two World Cup games against Lebanon and Jamaica. If the NRL deems the Leeds fixture out as an official game, Waerea-Hargreaves would also miss the pool clash against Ireland, which means his first appearance the tournament would come in the quarter-finals.
If the 32-test veteran isn't selected for the World Cup, he would have to serve the ban over the opening rounds of the 2023 NRL season.
Waerea-Hargreaves debuted for the Kiwis in 2009, and played at the 2013 and 2017 World Cups. While he is undoubtedly one of the best props in the world, he has also proved a liability in terms of onfield discipline, with regular visits to the NRL judiciary.
But he's also been a regular fixture in the NZ team under coach Michael Maguire, playing every test since 2018, until a hamstring injury ruled him out of June's victory over Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium.
