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Ngawati’s Canadian passport means he is not considered an import or quota player for Toronto. But he is at clubs in England where the Wolfpack looked to place him to further his rugby league education.

In order to loan Ngawati (pronounced Now-r-tee) to the London Skolars of the third-tier Betfred League 1 this season, they had to get him a British passport (which he is entitled to through his bloodlines) to avoid roster complication for London.

“That’s another bizarre twist in a really bizarre tale,” said frustrated Wolfpack coach Paul Rowley.

And while Toronto is high on Ngawati, calling him a “rough diamond,” they consider him a work in progress.

Rowley says the six-foot-four 240-pound Ngawati is getting his shot this weekend because he has earned it in training and because Toronto is resting regular second-rowers Cory Paterson and Andrew Dixon.

“We don’t give first-team shirts out because this isn’t a circus act,” said Rowley, a former England hooker. “We’re here to win games and we’re here to be successful so that the people of Canada learn to love this sport. They’ll learn to love it when it’s played on the highest platform. That’s what we’re endeavouring to do.

“We don’t give shirts out. That’s not the way I work. I earned a shirt and everybody who plays for me will earn a shirt. And this week Quinn’s earned his shirt … I could have put other people there but I put Quinn there.”

But with Toronto shifting its focus to the so-called Qualifiers series after the regular season — when the bottom four Super League teams face off with the top four Betfred Championship squads to determine four berths in the top tier next season — Ngawati is unlikely to see more action this year.