By Stuff NZ — The next chapter in the sporting career of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck could begin on Saturday night.
If the former Warriors and Kiwis captain is able to overcome a slight knee injury, he looks set to be named in the Auckland team to play Bay of Plenty at Eden Park this weekend.
It’s the first step towards the 28-year-old’s ultimate goal of making it into the All Blacks, but a significant one as it will be his first taste of the 15-man code since he was a teenager.
Auckland coach Alama Ieremia will announce his team for this weekend’s NPC game on Thursday and all eyes will be on whether Tuivasa-Sheck is included in the 23.
Having his first rugby game at Eden Park was clearly something that the Auckland Rugby marketing department would have been keen on and he’ll certainly help put bums on seats on Saturday night, as there will be nationwide interest in NZ as to how he goes in his new sport.
Since leaving the Warriors a few weeks ago, who coincidently are undefeated since he departed, Tuivasa-Sheck has been steadily acclimatising himself to rugby.
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He’s not entirely unfamiliar with the code and did represent the New Zealand Schoolboys team, before he was swept away to Australia by the Roosters.
Over the last few weeks he’s been training with the Auckland squad, picking up everything he can, while also passing on his knowledge to his new team-mates.
For the NPC season opening game against Canterbury, Tuivasa-Sheck joined the team for their warm-ups on the Eden Park pitch, then went up to the coach’s box to watch Auckland’s 35-24 win.
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When he was on the field, Tuivasa-Sheck lined up at wing in training drills, which dropped a hint on where he could play in rugby, for the start of his time in rugby anyway.
He began his career with the Roosters on the wing, where he was mentored by Anthony Minichiello, before eventually moving into the No.1 jersey when the club’s stalwart retired.
During his final season for the Warriors he also played on the wing, to allow his long-term replacement, Reece Walsh to get game time in his old position.
Certainly, learning the intricacies of rugby, will be easier on the wing than other positions. Whether he has the kicking game to play fullback in the 15-man game is debatable and it could be that he eventually ends up in the midfield, where his strong defensive skills will come to the fore.
But for now, it will be intriguing just to see how comfortable he looks as a rugby player.
*This story originally appeared on stuff.co.nz and was reproduced with permission