RTS pledge could be Samoa's Taumalolo moment
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Dally M Medallist and Golden Boot winner Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is set to inspire other NRL stars to play for Samoa after committing to his nation of birth in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup.
Tuivasa-Sheck, whose first NRL season since returning from a two-year stint in rugby union ended after a head knock in the Warriors loss to the Bulldogs on Friday night, played 20 Tests for New Zealand from 2013 to 2019.
However, the Apia born superstar advised new Kiwis coach Stacey Jones that he wanted to fulfil a long-held desire to represent Samoa and had made himself available for the end-of-season tour to England.
Vintage Roger
“I’ve had talks to Roger and he indicated when he came back to the game he wanted to play for Samoa, represent his family, which I respect," Jones told New Zealand’s 1News.
"I said to Rog, 'I would love you to be available for the Kiwis', and he thought really hard, but he had already made his decision when he came back to rugby league to represent Samoa, which I respect."
The decision is a massive boost for Samoa, who became the first Pacific nation to reach a World Cup final in 2022 with a line-up that included Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o.
Tuivasa-Sheck won the IRL Golden Boot as international player of the year in 2019 and joined Gary Freeman (1992) as just the second Kiwis international to win the Dally M Medal in 2018.
RTS enjoys Haka from Kiwi team-mates
Samoa coach Ben Gardiner welcomed the move by Tuivasa-Sheck, which could have a similar impact as Jason Taumalolo's decision to turn his back on the Kiwis and play for Tonga at the 2017 World Cup.
Queensland winger Murray Taulagi switched to Samoa during last year's Pacific Championships after being a member of the Kangaroos squad at the 2022 World Cup and other stars are considering representing their Samoan heritage.
Among those who have been linked with Samoa in the past are star Broncos prop Payne Haas and Cowboys strike second-rower Jeremiah Nanai.
“I’ve spoken to Roger and he has shown an interest in playing for Samoa,” Gardiner said. “He is very humble and he said that if his form merits it he would like to make himself available.
“We would love to have Roger, he will definitely be in calculations for selection and if he is fit we will be looking to pick him at the end of the year.”
Samoa qualified for the World Cup final in 2022 after an extra-time field goal by Crichton knocked out England in the semi-final at London’s Emirates Stadium.
Match Highlights: England v Samoa
In what is being dubbed a “revenge series” for the host nation, Samoa will meet England in a two Test series at Wigan on October 27 and Leeds on November 2.
“We're trying to build a team so that when Samoa goes to the World Cup in 2026, everyone has played together and knows how we want to play,” Gardiner said.
