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'He gives us options': Blues boss Leon MacDonald weighs in on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck positional debate

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Blues head coach Leon MacDonald has offered little insight into which position he might play new star recruit Roger Tuivasa-Sheck when he arrives at the franchise for next year’s Super Rugby campaign.

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The Blues confirmed on Saturday that they had locked in the 27-year-old NRL star on a two-year deal for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

MacDonald, along with Blues chief executive Andrew Hore, fronted media at the franchise’s headquarters in Epsom on Saturday morning to discuss the high-profile move.

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News of Tuivasa-Sheck’s transfer to the Auckland side had been highly speculated since the 2018 Dally M Medal winner confirmed last week that he will leave rugby league for rugby union at the end of the 2021 NRL season.

Just as hot a topic of discussion is which position the Warriors captain will play when he returns to the XV-man code he last played as a schoolboy for the Otahuhu College 1st XV, Blues U18 and New Zealand Schools sides in 2011.

A fullback in league, some have touted Tuivasa-Sheck as a wing in union, although some believe he could find a home for himself in the midfield.

However, MacDonald wouldn’t be drawn into speculating which position the 2013 NRL Premiership winner will play upon his return to union.

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“He gives us versatility; we know he played his schoolboy rugby in the midfield, he’s been playing his league in the outsides, so one of the attractions for us is he is a multi-skilled player and he gives us options,” MacDonald said.

“There’s no point speculating around positions. It’s a conversation we really need to sit down and have a good chat about.

“I think it’s a fair point around having the All Blacks coaches involved, and I think they will be involved. Fozzy [All Blacks coach Ian Foster] will have his opinion as well and to be aligned with the top is important.

“I’m looking forward to that day when we can sit around the table and thrash that out. It’ll come around soon enough.”

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Tuivasa-Sheck will be accompanied by a raft of established names and rising stars in the Blues backline next year, of which is headlined by All Blacks trio Beauden Barrett, Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke.

Promising youngsters such as Zarn Sullivan, AJ Lam and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens are also likely to challenge 20-test Kiwi for a place in the Blues’ starting lineup.

Tuivasa-Sheck’s move to union has also seen him ink a deal with provincial side Auckland, with there being the possibility that he may run out in the Mitre 10 Cup as early as this year.

This year’s Mitre 10 Cup kicks off on September 11 and runs through until November 27. The NRL grand final is scheduled for October 3, giving Tuivasa-Sheck plenty of time to ease himself back into union prior to getting underway with the Blues.

In doing so, he would forfeit the chance to play for the Kiwis at the Rugby League World Cup in the United Kingdom between October and November.

Regardless of his intentions, MacDonald gave few hints about whether union fans will get to see Tuivasa-Sheck in the Mitre 10 Cup later on in the year.

“There’s no doubt that’s an opportunity for him,” MacDonald said of Tuivasa-Sheck playing for Auckland in eight-to-nine months’ time.

“What we are clear on is he has a campaign he needs to finish, and we have a campaign that we have to focus on. As that goes through a course and as it unfolds, then there will be discussions about what is the best pathway forward for his development.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

33 Go to comments
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