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‘Had a Japan deal’: Former All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck opens up on rugby exit

(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Before signing a deal to return to the NRL with the Warriors, former All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was close to making the move to Japan in a bid to “explore the world” in rugby union.

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Tuivasa-Sheck, who is the only man to win the NRL’s esteemed Dally M medal with the Warriors in 2018, will go down in history as one of New Zealand’s greatest in the 13-player game.

But after failing to reach the heights expected of him in rugby union, the former Warriors captain returned to the club ahead of an NRL premiership tilt in 2024.

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The Warriors are coming off a simply incredible season this year, and the acquisition of Tuivasa-Sheck is set to bolster their title hopes going into the new campaign – but things could’ve been very different.

Speaking with reporters in Auckland for the first time since making the move back to the NRL, Tuivasa-Sheck revealed that he almost penned a two-year deal in Japan.

“I thought I was going to go on to rugby and then I had a Japan deal lined up,” Tuivasa-Sheck told reporters on Thursday.

“I was going to go, take my family, explore the world, see what happens and go from there.

“But when I went through the process, I called Jazz (Tevaga) and Tohu (Harris), who I was close with and said let’s go out for a coffee.

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“I said, ‘Tell me one thing, do I just go to Japan and see what happens or do I come back?’

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“They looked at each other and said there’s something here (at the Warriors).

“That got me excited, so then I had another catchup with Webby (coach Andrew Webster) and made the decision to come back.

“I’m just excited now because they’re excited. They feel something here and hopefully for the next few years something happens.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this year that Tuivasa-Sheck had been leaning towards a move to Japan Rugby League One, but that coffee clearly changed everything.

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After it was revealed that Tuivasa-Sheck was returning to the Warriors, the All Black opened up on how “family” played a defining role in his decision to stay in Auckland.

“We were pretty fortunate that we had interest off-shore but the first thing we decided is that we want to be at home,” Tuivasa-Sheck said earlier this year.

“We love it here in Auckland and we love New Zealand. I want my kids to run around with their cousins and grow up in this lifestyle.

“That was the first choice and I’m glad that I’m staying home and that my future is secured here in New Zealand.

“It’s massive with family.

“As I’ve grown up… I’ve played to make my parents proud. Now that I’m a parent myself… I play to make my kids proud. I play to feed my kids, and that’s what I do now.

“Securing a long-term deal back home is really important to me and I’m really blessed that I can do that.”

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2 Comments
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Mark 344 days ago

Was overrated from the start only Nz rugby though something about him,all hype no action

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Hellhound 30 minutes ago
France put World Cup pain behind them with unbeaten run in November

France is starting to look like they are finally over their WC headache, although they were lucky that NZ had a very bad game. The Argies as usual is one game good, the next bad. If they can sort that out and be more consistent, they could become contenders for the WC.


NZ, Argentina (if they are more consistent), and now the Wallabies too is in an upward curve (can they be consistent?), as well as Fiji(as inconsistent as Argentina) looks like possible contenders. The Boks will be as usual a huge threat to defend their title. Things are looking up for the South, so the North should rightfully beware of the Southern Hemisphere threat.


With the French looking dangerous, the English with their close runs (mostly a mindset problem) and the Scottish seems to be the NH main contenders. The Irish is good, but not excellent anymore. They are more overbearing and with their glory days mostly gone with old players hanging on by a thread, by 2027 if they don't start adding in the younger players, they won't make it past yet another WC Quarter final. The problem is that their youngsters, while good is nothing special.


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