Ex-NRL star tipped to join Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in Auckland squad
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is tipped to be reunited with one of his former Warriors teammates after Auckland Rugby announced another unnamed cross-code star is set to join the province.
Auckland Rugby took to social media on Thursday to announce a new player signing is imminent in the wake of Tuivasa-Sheck’s shock exit from the Warriors earlier this week, which paves the way for him to play for the province over the coming weeks.
“We hear you! We’re still making moves behind the scenes,” Auckland Rugby captioned a post of a silhouette of an unnamed player on Facebook and Instagram.
“This dual-international joins his other Rugby League loving friend this season.”
View this post on Instagram
While the identity of the dual-code player has not yet been revealed, fans and pundits have flooded the comments section in each of the posts speculating that the player in question is Brumbies wing Solomone Kata.
The silhouette used in the post looks akin to that of Kata, leading numerous social media users to predict the former Warriors and Melbourne Storm powerhouse is heading to Eden Park ahead of the upcoming provincial season.
From what Auckland Rugby just put out on their Instagram it looks like Solomone Kata will be playing the Bunnings NPC…
— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) July 29, 2021
Kata, a New Zealand and Tongan rugby league international, signed with the Brumbies ahead of the 2020 Super Rugby season after five seasons in the NRL.
During his time in the 13-man game, the 26-year-old was Tuivasa-Sheck’s teammate at the Warriors between 2016 and 2019.
In 2018, the pair helped guide the Warriors to their first NRL play-offs appearance in seven years, with Kata contributing 12 tries in 23 appearances.
In total, Kata – a former Tonga U21 rugby union representative who moved to New Zealand as a schoolboy in 2011 after taking up a rugby scholarship to attend Sacred Heart College in Auckland – scored 46 tries in 93 NRL matches.
Since his move to rugby union, Kata has chalked up five tries in 19 appearances, with all five of his tries coming in his first six outings to open the 2020 season.
Kata, who was part of the Brumbies side that claimed the inaugural Super Rugby AU title last year, has made a name for himself as a powerful and damaging ball-runner.
That much was reflected in this year’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, where he was among the league leaders for defenders beaten.
Kata wouldn’t be the only Australian-based Super Rugby player to play in this year’s NPC, as Reds flanker Angus Scott-Young was named in the Bay of Plenty squad earlier this week.
Scott-Young cited the lack of top-level rugby in Australia at this time of the year as a reason behind his temporary move across the ditch.
“With no provincial rugby taking place in Australia at the back end of this year, there is a five-month period where there isn’t much high-level rugby on offer,” he said.
“For me personally, I wanted to come to a new environment. I got my manager to put some feelers out to New Zealand, and this opportunity came up.
“I’ve always wanted to play in New Zealand. You guys are the best in the world.”
The 2021 NPC season is due to kick-off next weekend, with Auckland scheduled to open their campaign against fierce rivals Canterbury at Eden Park on August 8.
The Auckland squad is set to be fully unveiled after their final pre-season clash against Northland this weekend.
Comments on RugbyPass
Steve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
15 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
3 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
3 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
15 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
18 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
15 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
15 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
15 Go to commentsLove Manu but he's not the player he was and I imagine Bayonne have paid too much money for him.
3 Go to comments