Tuivasa-Sheck to switch codes in bid to make All Blacks World Cup squad

By Sports Desk January 30, 2021

New Zealand Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will switch codes at the end of the 2021 NRL season with the aim of playing for the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup.

Talismanic full-back Tuivasa-Sheck, 27, has been granted an early release from his Warriors contract to try and force his way into the New Zealand squad for the 2023 showpiece in France.

The 2018 Dally M Player of the Year and two-time Dally M Fullback of the Year expressed gratitude to the Warriors for allowing him to move to the 15-man format.

"This will be my last year with the club and yes, I will be moving to NZ rugby next year," Tuivasa-Sheck said during a press conference on Saturday.

"The club has been supportive in the request and giving me the option to explore.

"Rugby [union] has been the game I've grown up playing. It's always been there in the background. It's always been there, it's no secret. 

"To do it now in a time like this and have the club's support, that's why I chose it now. But rugby is down the line and all that stuff will happen later in the year.

"2021 is my focus, I'm excited about this year and so should the Warriors and NRL fans be.

"There's still a lot of goals I'm chasing [in league] and that's what I'm trying to do this year with the club. We've got a great group here and coaching staff to do something special this year."

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    Tuilagi will depart Sale in June with the outcome of a medical the last hurdle before the move is finalised, the PA news agency understands.

    The 32-year-old centre won his 60th cap in Saturday’s 33-31 defeat by France in Lyon after coming on as a replacement for Henry Slade in the 59th minute.

    Rugby Football Union regulations mean that any player leaving the Gallagher Premiership becomes ineligible for international selection.

    Tuilagi has been an automatic pick in the midfield for four successive England coaches due to the power he provides on both sides of the ball.

    However, his career has been heavily interrupted by a number of serious injuries including groin, chest, hamstring, knee and a broken hand.

    Had he been fit for every match since his debut in 2011, he would have amassed 156 caps.

    Ollie Lawrence’s rampaging performance against France, which included two tries, suggests England have finally found his successor as a hard running centre but Tuilagi’s unique physicality means he will never be truly replaced.

    Bayonne are positioned ninth in the Top 14 table and the move is expected to be officially confirmed this week.

  • England’s Danny Care to take stock before deciding on his international future England’s Danny Care to take stock before deciding on his international future

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    Care won his 101st cap as a replacement in Saturday’s agonising defeat by France in Lyon that saw a long-range penalty by Thomas Ramos seize victory for Les Bleus in the final minute.

    The 37-year-old provided cover for Alex Mitchell throughout the championship and deputised in the starting XV when England’s first-choice scrum-half was injured for the defeat by Scotland in round three.

    Now one of the most exciting players in English rugby is facing a crossroads moment as he nears the end of his Test career while yet to agree a new contract for next season with Harlequins.

     

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    “It’s 101 and still not out at the moment! I’m going to go home and assess and speak to the family. I’ve not made any big decisions yet,” Care said.

     

    “But I’ve loved being a part of this team. I genuinely have. The past year yes, but particularly the past seven weeks in this Six Nations have been some of my favourite times in an England shirt.

    “The result against Ireland was an unbelievable feeling, I thought we were going to do it again and maybe surpass it against France.

    “The icing on the cake would have been another win but it wasn’t to be. But I’ve never been prouder to wear an England shirt.”

    Care’s international career appeared to be over following a disagreement with Eddie Jones in 2018, but his irrepressible form for Harlequins resulted in a recall under the Australian and he has remained in favour under Steve Borthwick.

    “If it had all finished a couple of years ago it would have been a bit meh, a bit rubbish, so I’m delighted with how the last year has gone,” he said.

    “I owe Steve and the coaching staff an awful lot for giving me another opportunity for doing what I love doing the best.

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    “He epitomises what it is to be an Irish rugby player,” said Baird, who featured in each of Ireland’s tournament fixtures but only started the round-two win over Italy.

    “I said to him before the game how much I look up to him and I said it to him after. Yeah, I idolise him.

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    “I just want to fulfil my potential and I feel very fortunate to be in this group,” he said.

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    “I’m starting to appreciate that more and I guess it’s why I’m more fond of this one (Six Nations title).”

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