Michael Burgess: Why Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's mooted switch to rugby won't happen

Captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck during Warriors training at Mt Smart Stadium. New Zealand Herald Photograph by Jason Oxenham.

A decision regarding Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's future still appears to be some time away, and there is no guarantee at all that he will be playing rugby union in 2019.

A report on Thursday morning suggested that a deal with the Blues is all signed and sealed, with Tuivasa-Sheck set to switch codes to make a run at next year's World Cup.

But the 24-year-old's agent immediately dismissed the story, saying it was "absolutely baseless".

"The article that came out is total speculation and very disappointing," Bruce Sharrock told the Herald. "Roger is no further ahead in his decision making process than he was pre-Christmas. I have had no discussions, formal or informal with the Blues, around the services of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck post-2018."

There are three possible outcomes to Tuivasa-Sheck's decision beyond the end of his current contract in 2018 - a) he stays with the Warriors, b) he remains in the NRL but returns to Australia, or c) he follows a long-held All Blacks dream.

If he was forced to decide in September last year, the decision would have been easy.

After a train wreck of a season at Mt Smart, where he had to front up almost every week to explain the failings of the team he led, it would be hard to imagine Tuivasa-Sheck contemplating another Warriors deal.

The Rugby League World Cup campaign provided some respite, as Tuivasa-Sheck rediscovered his mojo, despite the Kiwis' ultimate failure.

He returned to the Warriors' fold in early January, and has been reportedly heartened by what he has seen, especially with the attitude shown by the younger players and the progress made under new physical trainer Alex Corvo.

The Warriors will also make an extremely attractive offer to Tuivasa-Sheck, considerably more than he could earn in rugby, given the current constraints.

But will it be enough?

The NRL want to get the situation resolved as soon as possible, to avoid a repeat of last year's Kieran Foran fiasco which compromised the start of the season, but Tuivasa-Sheck is in no hurry.

He wants to assess — as much as possible — where the club is heading before committing to another deal.

And rugby does hold appeal.

There's a lot more travel, even at Super Rugby level, it's not as physically demanding as league and Tuivasa-Sheck has a background in the sport.

The Blues are the logical choice, given Tuivasa-Sheck's extended family, and his partner's family all reside in the Queen City.

But it's not the only option, and a route into the All Blacks would appear more straightforward via the Crusaders, Hurricanes or Chiefs.

"At the end of the day New Zealand Rugby is aware that in Roger's head, rugby is an option, but we have not engaged with them at all," said Sharrock.

"I've said, at the appropriate time, if he gets to the point he wants to explore it, I'll be knocking on their door."

Rugby also holds some risk.

While Tuivasa-Sheck could go on to become one of the all-time greats in league — and he has already achieved a lot — he would be starting from a blank canvas in union, though his raw talent and training ethic is indisputable.