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Footage: When Roger Tuivasa-Sheck played rugby union in 2011

By Ian Cameron
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

It’s impossible to have a conversation about the best steppers, in either code, without mentioning Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. The guy has turned the ankle breaker into an art form over the course of his eight-year career in the NRL.

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Like many Aucklanders, he grew up playing both codes and one of his earliest tastes of elite rugby came with the Blues First XV Fifteen age-grade team. He turned 27 this week and Sky Sports NZ released footage of the speedster in action against the Highlanders.

Sky NZ pondered the possibility of the mouthwatering prospect of seeing Tuivasa-Sheck playing alongside new signing Dan Carter at the Blues ‘one day’.

A return to rugby union isn’t at all far fetched for Tuivasa-Sheck. He represented the New Zealand rugby union schoolboy team before signing for the Roosters in the NRL as eighteen year old, before returning to his native Auckland with the Warriors.

He was linked with the blues in 2018, although his agent dismissed the rumours ‘as pure speculation’ after Radio New Zealand reported the switch to the fifteen-man code is “done”. Apparently there had been talks between NZR and Tuivasa-Sheck which his manager Bruce Sharrock refused to talk about.

At 27-year-old, time is starting to run out if he wanted to have a tilt at the All Blacks, with the cycle leading up to Rugby World Cup in 2023 in France realistically his last chance at a black jersey. One thing is clear, he has the talent to make it as a cross-code athlete.

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Jon 6 hours ago
The case for keeping the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby Pacific

I have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.

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