‘I won’t be heading back’: All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck shuts down NRL return

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has shut down speculation linking him with a return to the NRL.

In a social media post, the two-test All Black said he was committed to seeing through his contract with New Zealand Rugby, which runs through till the end of next year.

“Hey team, hearing a return to NRL and Sydney Roosters. As much as I enjoyed it there, I won’t be heading back. Signed sealed delivered till the end of 2023,” he said on his Instagram story on Saturday night.

The prospect of the 29-year-old making a switch back to the 13-man code was raised last Sunday when former All Black Sir John Kirwan told Sky Sport’s The Breakdown show there was a “little whisper” that the Sydney Roosters had a contract on the table for their former star.

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A winger-turned fullback, Tuivasa-Sheck played 84 games for the Roosters between 2012-2015 before notching 111 for the Warriors between 2016-2021, including captaining them from 2017 and winning the Dally M Medal in 2018.

However, his transition to rugby – which he was a star in at schoolboy level – has been a frustrating one ahead of next year’s World Cup in France.

After Covid-19 lockdowns prevented him turning out for Auckland in the NPC last year, he was straight into Super Rugby Pacific with the Blues, and while he showed plenty of potential at second five-eighth, his time in the black jersey has been limited, with the All Blacks’ 2022 struggles not helping his cause.

As such, Tuivasa-Sheck has only notched two 10-minute cameos off the bench – in the third-test defeat to Ireland in Wellington, and in last weekend’s final-round Rugby Championship win over Australia.

During the week, Daily Telegraph journalist Brent Read reported that the Roosters weren’t in fact chasing Tuivasa-Sheck’s signature.

“I’ve checked with the Roosters today and they’ve said it doesn’t make sense,” he said on Fox Sports’ NRL 360 show on Wednesday.

“They’ve got about four fullbacks already, so the Roosters basically distanced themselves from this.”

Then, so too did the man himself on Saturday night in his social media post which came not long after his NPC outing for Auckland in their win against Taranaki at Eden Park.

Intriguingly, Tuivasa-Sheck had initially been named in the Auckland No 12 jersey for that game, but instead was a late change to the No 14 one.

With All Blacks coach Ian Foster not short of midfield options, particularly on the back of Jordie Barrett’s standout shift into second-five last weekend, thoughts have been floated among media and fans that perhaps Tuivasa-Sheck instead might be better employed on the right wing.

Auckland assistant coach Craig McGrath insisted post-match the positional switch was not one of the All Blacks’ selectors’ making, and instead an in-house decision, and while in a wet-weather contest it wasn’t the ideal conditions for the fancy footwork of the 29-year-old, he still did enough to suggest he may well be worth persevering with there in this rugby odyssey.