Ian Foster breaks silence on Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's All Blacks chances
Ian Foster is excited to see ex-NRL star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s rugby union career kick-off earlier than expected, but an All Blacks call-up for the end-of-year tour is still some way off from a certainty.
Tuivasa-Sheck made headlines last week when he was granted an early release from his contract with the Warriors in the wake of the New Zealand Government’s decision to pause its travel bubble with Australia for eight weeks.
The Warriors have been based in Australia for the past two seasons in a bid to keep the NRL alive amid the volatile COVID-19 climate.
However, with only five rounds remaining in the current NRL season, the lengthy travel pause forced Tuivasa-Sheck to weigh up his options before opting to return to New Zealand to play for Auckland in this year’s NPC to help prepare him for next year’s Super Rugby season with the Blues.
The 2018 Dally M Medallist’s decision to come to New Zealand rugby earlier than anticipated excites Foster, who revealed he has held numerous talks with Tuivasa-Sheck.
“We’ve had a number of talks with Roger. The fact he’s been able to come back early I think is great for him, and it’s a massive kudos to the Warriors as an organisation for what they’ve done for him,” Foster said on Monday.
“They’ve given him a chance to have a run into the campaign, and so, first and foremost, I think it’s a fantastic gesture from them and I’m sure Roger greatly appreciates it.”
Foster’s excitement over the cross-code star doesn’t translate to a guaranteed place in the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour of the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, though.
The All Blacks are scheduled to play the USA, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy in successive weeks throughout October and November, but Foster is waiting to see how Tuivasa-Sheck fares in New Zealand provincial rugby before bringing him into the selection frame.
“It’s not a serious consideration for us at this stage,” Foster said when asked of the 28-year-old’s selection chances later this year.
However, Foster has full faith that Tuivasa-Sheck and Auckland head coach Alama Ieremia have a plan in place to help the 2013 NRL Premiership winner learn the nuances of rugby union and flourish in the NPC.
“What do we expect out of him? We just expect him to go out there and put a smile on his face and learn something new.
The All Blacks have identified the biggest lesson they learned from last year’s shock 16-all draw against the Wallabies ahead of their re-match in Auckland this weekend. #AllBlacks #Wallabies #BledisloeCup #NZLvAUS https://t.co/c3TC7QBRkw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 2, 2021
“It’s quite stimulating learning something new and he’s motivated and I’m sure, with him and Alama, they’ll work on a really good plan and we’ll just keep an eye on him.”
Just where Tuivasa-Sheck will slot into the Auckland backline remains to be seen, but former dual-code legend Sonny Bill Williams believes his former Sydney Roosters teammate would be best utilised on the wing upon his induction into rugby union.
“I think he’ll play wing in the early stages of his transition,” Williams, a 58-test All Black and 12-test Kiwi, told Channel Nine last week.
“For me, it’s not a case of will he make it to the All Blacks or will he thrive in the game of 15, it’s a question of how long it’ll take.
“We’ve got to remember that he grew up as a rugby player and league boys poached him from the game of rugby and brought him across, so he shouldn’t have too much problems transitioning back.”
The 2021 NPC season kicks-off this weekend, with Auckland scheduled to begin their campaign against Canterbury at Eden Park on Sunday.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments