Darcy Lussick is expected to return to Championship club Toronto Wolfpack despite the Australian prop being refused entry into the UK.
The former Manly and Parramatta forward was on a break, with Toronto enjoying a week off.
However, Lussick was denied entry by UK Border Patrol - but Wolfpack owner David Argyle was adament the situation was under control.
The Wolfpack, described by Argyle as "the world’s first transatlantic professional sports team", continues to lure overseas talent in a bid to reach the Super League.
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One of those players was Lussick, who joined Toronto in 2018 from NRL club Manly.
Argyle said the club was "frustrated" by the drama but said they had "followed protocol in place between our governing body (RFL) and the Home Office".
Lussick is expected to link up with the Wolfpack for their next home game against Dewsbury on 15 June.
"Managing immigration and work permits are just part of our journey as the world’s first transatlantic professional sports team," Argyle said.
"We are committed to bringing top players from all corners of the globe to Toronto to achieve our goal of growing the game of rugby in North America, and establishing Toronto as a global centre for rugby excellence.
"The welfare of our players and coaches is always our top priority and we are going to continue working to make sure that the immigration process becomes easier moving forward.
"We are obviously frustrated by the decision to deny UK entry to Darcy... all protocols will be thoroughly reviewed, and we will ensure that the UK Border Control remain informed of any changes."
Toronto Wolfpack can confirm that the UK Border Agency refused entry to Australian prop forward Darcy Lussick yesterday. The club expects Lussick to return to the UK promptly once these matters have been clarified.
— Toronto Wolfpack (@TOwolfpack) June 4, 2019
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Full statement: Toronto Wolfpack can confirm that the UK Border Agency refused entry into the UK yesterday to the Wolfpack’s Australian prop forward Darcy Lussick. Lussick had returned to the UK from a European City break during time off between the Wolfpack’s Betfred Championship games.
Toronto Wolfpack Majority Owner David Argyle commented:
“Managing immigration and work permits are just part of our journey as the world’s first transatlantic professional sports team. We are committed to bringing top players from all corners of the globe to Toronto to achieve our goal of growing the game of rugby in North America, and establishing Toronto as a global centre for Rugby excellence. The welfare of our players and coaches is always our top priority and we are going to continue working to make sure that the immigration process becomes easier moving forwards.”
“We are obviously frustrated by the decision to deny UK entry to Darcy, having followed protocol which have been in place between our governing body (RFL) and the Home Office. All protocols will be thoroughly reviewed, and we will ensure that the UK Border Control remain informed of any changes.”
The club expects Lussick to return to the UK promptly once these matters have been clarified, as well as taking part in the team’s next trip to Toronto to face Dewsbury Rams (Saturday June 15th) and Toulouse Olympique (Saturday June 22nd).
