Long-shot Tuivasa-Sheck return could give Roosters best backline ever seen

Growing whispers around Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s return to rugby league and the NRL should have footy fans worried—if they turn out to be true, it could give the Sydney Roosters one of the best backlines the game has ever seen.

RTS has been playing rugby with the Auckland Blues since 2021 in a bid to make the All Blacks squad for the 2023 World Cup, but things haven’t gone quite as planned for the 29-year-old star.

Since his departure from the New Zealand Warriors at the end of the 2021 season, Tuivasa-Sheck has struggled to really leave his mark on the 15-a-side game. He’s only been called up for the All Blacks three times, and early mail coming out of Kiwi camps is that he won’t even make the World Cup list when it’s rubber-stamped later this year.

With his Rugby World Cup dream fading, the NRL looms again for RTS.

And, according to Roosters great Bryan Fletcher, there are already whispers the tricolours are making their move: “The rumours I keep hearing is Roger back to the Chooks,” the retired rugby league veteran said on SEN this week.

“That’s what I keep hearing. I’m not geeing you up, the rumours are getting very, very strong.”

The Sporting Base has heard nothing of the sort, but there’s every chance it’s legitimate—and if it does prove true, the Roosters could field the greatest backline footy’s top-flight has ever seen.

The backline in question, should RTS return to the Roosters? Here it is: James Tedesco at fullback, Joseph Suaali’i and Daniel Tupou on the wings, and Joseph Manu and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck as the centre strike weapons. Good lord.

Of course, there’s plenty that could stop this dream five from happening.

First up, Tuivasa-Sheck coming back to rugby league to play centre is a long shot. More likely, if RTS did don the tricolours again, we would see Tedesco shuffle into five-eighth to accommodate the prodigal son’s comeback. Or, if ‘Teddy’ doesn’t want to make the move, Roger may be forced to look elsewhere for an NRL jumper.

Enter Wayne Bennett and his star-starved Redcliffe Dolphins. Per The Mole at WWOS, Tuivasa-Sheck’s first choices would be the Roosters or the Warriors, but the latter of those wouldn’t have enough space in the cap to bring back their former captain.

While there have been no discussions between Bennett, the Dolphins, and RTS just yet, The Sporting Base expects the Redcliffe expansion club to go very hard for the 29-year-old dual rugby international should he land on the trading block by the end of the year—it all hinges on if RTS backs himself to make the World Cup squad this time around.

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