Ardie wants to scratch his itch for NRL

All Blacks star loose forward Ardie Savea wants to play in the NRL in a move that will send shock waves across the rugby and league codes.

Speaking on The Ice Project podcast, hosted by former Warriors halfback Isaac John, Savea said he had been thinking about trying his hand at the 13-man code potentially as early as next year. He is sidelined with a knee injury suffered in the All Blacks’ World Cup semi final loss to England.

Savea is contracted to NZ Rugby until the end of the 2021 season.

But the Hurricanes’ leading light told the podcast that before he suffered the injury he was ‘‘low-key thinking about it [a code switch] for next year’’.

Inspired by fellow All Blacks codehopper Sonny Bill Williams, Savea said having a crack in the Australian rugby league competition had always appealed to him.

The challenge of learning a new game

and the added offfield Ardie Savea possibilities

league provides to athletes was too attractive an opportunity not to consider, he said.

‘‘100 per cent I want to play rugby league, I think they [the players] do a lot more in terms of off the field stuff. And also, just a new challenge. I want to test myself,’’ Savea said. ‘‘Learning a whole new game and seeing if I can dominate or, play the way I play in union, that excites me. Seeing guys like Sonny do it kind of plays on my mind a bit.’’

In 2019 on the same podcast, former

Australian rugby pivot Quade Cooper expressed a similar desire to switch codes and try his hand in the NRL.

Cooper, 31, has recently been seeking training opportunities with local rugby league sides in Queensland.

Savea on the other hand, aged just 26 and with the talent he has, would have few betting against him carving out a successful career in league should the switch eventuate.

He would be a massive loss to union, and to add insult to injury for Kiwi sports fans Savea said if his future was in the NRL, it wouldn’t be with the Warriors.

‘‘Strategically I would want to got to a team that was dominating, like the Storm or Roosters,’’ he said. ‘‘It sucks that I got this injury because I was low key thinking about it [switching to league] for next year.’’