‘The closest I ever got’: NRL great reveals All Blacks Sevens talks

Former NZ Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson could’ve made a shock switch away from the NRL to play for the All Blacks Sevens, revealing how close he came to leaving the code during the prime of his decorated career.

Johnson helped the Warriors reach the 2011 NRL Grand Final as a rookie, featuring in the same run-on side as utility back Krisnan Inu, who later spent some time in France’s Top 14 with Parisian side Stade Francais.

The playmaker would go on to play more than 265 matches in the NRL across two stints with the Warriors and some time with the Cronulla Sharks, and represent the New Zealand Kiwis on 35 occasions during an illustrious career.

Benji Marshall was New Zealand’s last IRL Golden Boot Award winner before Johnson received that honour in 2014. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Joseph Manu and James Fisher-Harris have won it in since, with three of those five Kiwis mentioned going on to play some rugby union.

Johnson could’ve gone down the rugby union path but not with the All Blacks in the Test arena, instead there was an opportunity to play sevens, and it was perhaps the greatest sevens coach of all-time who sat down to discuss the move with the NRL star.

“Not the All Blacks,” Johnson said on Backstage with Cooper & Matty Johns.

“The closest I ever got to moving away from league would have been in my mid-20s. I remember we had a chat with [All Blacks Sevens coach] Gordon Tietjens about going to sevens.”

It was reported by multiple media outlets in 2021 that Johnson had spoken with former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika about a move, amid talk of a potential opportunity to play rugby union in what was then called the Japan Top League.

“It would only be to head to Japan if that opportunity came up,” Johnson told reporters back then, and the now-retired NRL great has opened up about those talks. Cheika, who has recently signed on to coach the NSW Waratahs, believed Johnson could’ve helped change the game.

“That would have been something. That would’ve been cool,” Johnson added.

“I had a really good chat with Cheika and he pitched me this idea of actually wanting to implement rugby league structures and shape into union.

“He said there’s no better place to sample some of this stuff than over in Japan and that’s where he was bringing me in for.”