Roger Tuivasa-Sheck says he finally feels at home in rugby after a frustrating start to his switch from league. Photo / Photosport
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck says he finally feels at home in rugby after a frustrating start to his switch from league. Photo / Photosport
Three months into his professional rugby union playing career with the Blues, former Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is beginning to feel at home following a career change that hasn't gone all his own way.
After signalling his intentions to leave the marooned Warriors in Australia early last year for aunion dab in 2022, Tuivasa-Sheck was granted an early release from the NRL side in July before the transtasman bubble popped, only for Auckland's National Provincial Championship to be cut short before he could take to the park.
A week on from his debut, he injured his shoulder in the Blues' second game of the season against the Chiefs and was taken off at halftime, leaving him sidelined for more than a month. But in recent weeks, signs of his development have continued to come as the Blues roll to 10 straight Super Rugby victories.
Tuivasa-Sheck said the injury break that has left him with six appearances from a possible 11 with the Blues was tough.
"It was really frustrating, a real setback," Tuivasa-Sheck told NZME. "It wasn't a major injury but just not being able to play [after the NPC cancellation]. I think that was my longest time off from footy. I got a taste of it in round one and two, but to miss out ... after that was pretty tough. It was back to the drawing board, watching games, watching videos when I wished I was out there learning."
Now with a run of games under his belt, Tuivasa-Sheck's soaking up what he can being sandwiched in the Blues backline with a couple of All Blacks in first-five Beauden Barrett and centre Rieko Ioane.
"It gives me a lot of confidence to play my game having 10 and 13 as world-class players. Even Stephen [Perofeta], he's having a year as well. The biggest help they give me is if I get lost out there a bit, not knowing where to be, they can put me back in my place.
"There's a lot of times when my head's in the ruck, I'm trying to clean out and I come out of the ruck and after 1-2-3 seconds, I'm thinking, 'should I go left, should I go right' ... but I'm getting a lot of cues off them, which helps."
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in action for the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Tuivasa-Sheck said he still had a lot to learn about the defensive side of rugby.
"As a fullback in rugby league, I'm at the back and demand the boys do the work.
"In rugby, I'm in the front line, making sure I'm reading the lines I'm defending and then the ruck work, working out what's legal, what's not legal. As a midfield defender, I've got to be really good at the job."
The All Blacks midfield remains unsettled heading into the 2022 season and Tuivasa-Sheck's reasons for returning to the sport for the first time since high school boiled down to a test ambition. But given the setbacks he's had to endure; he says he has to focus on keeping his Blues 12 jumper first and foremost.
"All that stuff is back down there," Tuivasa-Sheck gestures to the ground, "I'm here and my game is here with the Blues."
Tuivasa-Sheck is firmly of the belief he's made the right call to switch codes and so is Blues coach Leon MacDonald, who told reporters after the win over the Rebels that he's looking like a rugby player now.
When that comment is relayed to Tuivasa-Sheck he has a chuckle and says: "I'm slowly feeling at home. I'm making sure I'm constantly learning and not taking each week for granted. After those last setbacks, I don't want to be sitting again. It's fair to say I'm pretty happy playing and I'm a rugby player."
