Rumour mill gathers pace over RTS switch
Speculation continues to mount on All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck returning to rugby league with his old Sydney Roosters club.
The 29-year-old has struggled to make an impact in rugby at international level since making the code switch in 2021.
While he has had exciting moments with Auckland and the Blues, he made just three appearances for the All Blacks. Two were off the bench – in the historic home series loss to Ireland and a Bledisloe Cup win over the Wallabies in Auckland – with one start against Japan in Tokyo. His test time amounted to 90 minutes over those three games.
He was then dispatched to the secondary All Blacks XV for the end of year tour to the UK.
Tuivasa-Sheck made his name in the
NRL with the Roosters before signing with the New Zea- land Warriors where he won the 2018 Dally M medal as the competition’s best player.
Australian league pundit Brian Fletcher, a former NRL winner with the Roosters during 135 games for the glamour Sydney club, said the drums were beating for TuivasaSheck to cross the Tasman again and rejoin his old league outfit. ‘‘The rumours I keep hearing is Roger [Tuivasa-Sheck] back to the Chooks. That’s what I keep hearing,’’ Fletcher said on SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Fletch. ‘‘When we cross over to our Kiwi friends, I’m going to ask them, because the rumours are getting louder and louder. I’m not geeing you up – the rumours are getting very, very strong.’’
Rugby’s hopes of retaining Tuivasa-Sheck will depend on whether he can fight his way into the World Cup squad for the tournament in France.
But the All Blacks have taken a major shift at No 12 with fullbackwing Jordie Barrett making a successful transition there.
The media underground in Sydney raised the prospect of TuivasaSheck returning to the NRL last year with the usually accurate insider dubbed The Mole writing for Nine’s World of Sports: ‘‘My Kiwi spies tell me that RTS wasn’t all that happy with his maiden season in rugby union after his much-hyped switch of codes in 2022.
‘‘The 29-year-old will probably give union another 12 months to see if he can make a better impression and if not, a return to league is on the cards.’’
The Mole suggested a different destination might await TuivasaSheck.
‘‘The Warriors probably don’t have room in their salary cap to accommodate their former captain, but one team is cashed up and desperate for a superstar signing . . . the Dolphins. Don’t be surprised if Wayne Bennett has a quiet chat to RTS in the coming months.’’