League: Tuivasa Sheck leg injury upsets balance of team

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Getty Images

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has had so many highlights in 2013, but playing in the World Cup final at Old Trafford wasn't one of them.

The 20-year-old wing has had an incredible first full season in top-level league, winning the NRL title with the Roosters and being named both Dally M and Rugby League International Federation Winger of the Year.

But Tuivasa-Sheck lasted barely seven minutes in yesterday's World Cup final, won 34-2 by Australia, before limping off in tears with a suspected fractured leg. It occurred in the same place as last week's injury - he was cleared to play after scans revealed no serious damage and was confident he would be fine - but he heard a crack this time around and was in considerable pain.

"I caught the ball and felt a sharp pain down the outside of my calf," he said. "I will have scans on Monday to see what really went down. We will see. I was doing some extra warmup on the ground and I felt fresh and I felt good at the captain's run."

Tuivasa-Sheck's absence affected the balance of the side, with Dean Whare shifting to the wing and Alex Glenn playing at right centre, and forcing some of the forwards to play more minutes than they might normally do.

"It would have been great to have Roger out there, there's no doubt about that," coach Stephen Kearney said. "But I don't think having him out there was going to stop Cameron [Smith], Cooper [Cronk], Johnathan Thurston and their forward pack play the way they did."

The Kiwis were lucky they didn't lose their other wing Manu Vatuvei after he went crashing into the advertising hoardings and got his arm trapped. Vatuvei was bundled down one of the steep banks that surround the playing surface at Old Trafford after trying to slap a kick back into play and crashed heavily.

Players were concerned about their safety before the game, especially after Luke Lewis' World Cup campaign ended a month ago when he banged into an advertising hoarding and seriously injured his shoulder and knocked himself out. Thurston called for extra padding in the leadup to the game but the commercial realities meant it didn't happen.

The in-goals at Old Trafford were only 4m long - they're usually at least twice that in the NRL - and the ground dipped away sharply after the deadball line. Australia's Brett Morris was also in a bad way after scoring a try and slipping off the pitch into the hoardings.

"It was too dangerous, but you've got to play with it," Vatuvei said. "I am honoured to play on this historic field. I came out all right."