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August 23, 2024 – Dual-code rugby star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has agreed to switch his international play to Samoa and will head to England later this year.
Tuivasa-Shek played in both formats of rugby during his career and was a renowned superstar in the NRL, representing New Zealand in both league and conference competitions.
He returned to the league earlier this season after agreeing to rejoin the New Zealand Warriors – but New Zealand coach Stacey Jones invited him to play for the national team at the Pacific Championships later this year, but Tuivasa-Sheke turned it down.
Instead, he will be travelling to his birthplace of Samoa to represent his family tradition – meaning one of the football world’s true stars will be heading to England this autumn.
“I spoke to Roger and he said when he returns he wants to play for Samoa and represent his family, and I respect that,” Jones told New Zealand’s 1News.
“I said to Roger, ‘I’d like you to play for New Zealand’ and he thought about it for a long time, but when he came back to rugby league to play for Samoa, he had made his decision and I respected that.”
The news of Tuivasa-Sheck’s switch to Samoa has greatly boosted the prestige and hype surrounding the two-Test series between England and Samoa, but as things stand, it has yet to really generate any momentum.
Shaun Wane’s side will face the 2022 World Cup finalists in a two-match series that was confirmed after the Samoans initially pulled out of the scheduled three-match series.
However, the visitors eventually agreed to reverse that decision and travel to England, with Tuivasa-Sheck set to join the squad for the series, meaning one of world rugby’s biggest stars will be heading to England later this year.
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