Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

[Manfred Mann]

The New Zealand full back Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is one of the finest people playing rugby league today.

The former Dally M winner has for a long time now been an inspirational captain of the New Zealand Warriors. But today he turned on one of his most inspirational performances. He was everywhere in attack and everywhere in defence. He helped his team come back from a 21 point deficit against an injury depleted 14 man Raiders team to win by by 3 points. And that victory could have been missed at the last minute when Canberra launched a do or die final attack that saw Jordan Rapana flying out the left wing towards the Warriors line, looking as if he would score the match winning try. But that seemingly inevitable score was denied by a miraculous diving tackle by RTS that forced Rapana to lose control of the ball as he dived for the try line. It was one of several try saving tackles by RTS that saved his team from defeat.

RTS is a model player and a model human being. In 2020 he bravely agreed to live in Australia, painfully separated from his New Zealand resident wife and children, in order to help keep his club and the NRL going during the Covid pandemic. He gave his club a full year’s notice of his  plan to switch to rugby union in 2022, in pursuit of his lifetime ambition to play for the All Blacks in the 2023 World Cup. And he expressed his enthusiasm to train his 18 year old successor as the NZ Warriors full back if the club could lure him away from Brisbane this year. 

At the same time RTS has been a model of humility. He is surely the pride of New Zealand and of rugby league.

[Copa]

The Raiders played really well considering.

14 man for 67 minutes and one of the 14 also had a rib injury early in the game and played without pain relief.

Then there was the forward pass that ended up leading to a try. So far forward the Warriors player had to reach far ahead to grab it. But these refereeing errors are things that come to all teams eventually so I can live with it.

It was great to see the Warriors fans excited though. They’ve had to experience a lot of interruptions with their support during Covid.

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Manfred Mann said:

The New Zealand full back Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is one of the finest people playing rugby league today.

The former Dally M winner has for a long time now been an inspirational captain of the New Zealand Warriors. But today he turned on one of his most inspirational performances. He was everywhere in attack and everywhere in defence. He helped his team come back from a 21 point deficit against an injury depleted 14 man Raiders team to win by by 3 points. And that victory could have been missed at the last minute when Canberra launched a do or die final attack that saw Jordan Rapana flying out the left wing towards the Warriors line, looking as if he would score the match winning try. But that seemingly inevitable score was denied by a miraculous diving tackle by RTS that forced Rapana to lose control of the ball as he dived for the try line. It was one of several try saving tackles by RTS that saved his team from defeat.

RTS is a model player and a model human being. In 2020 he bravely agreed to live in Australia, painfully separated from his New Zealand resident wife and children, in order to help keep his club and the NRL going during the Covid pandemic. He gave his club a full year’s notice of his  plan to switch to rugby union in 2022, in pursuit of his lifetime ambition to play for the All Blacks in the 2023 World Cup. And he expressed his enthusiasm to train his 18 year old successor as the NZ Warriors full back if the club could lure him away from Brisbane this year. 

At the same time RTS has been a model of humility. He is surely the pride of New Zealand and of rugby league.

Over rated!! - could he do it away to Wakey on a cold February night......

[unapologetic pedant]

31 minutes ago, Copa said:

Then there was the forward pass that ended up leading to a try. So far forward the Warriors player had to reach far ahead to grab it. But these refereeing errors are things that come to all teams eventually so I can live with it.

It was precisely because the Warriors player had to reach for the ball that the pass looked definitely forward. When you look at the line on the field, there`s at least some uncertainty. I reckon it was a correct application of the benefit of the doubt. 

Short, hard passes tend to attract less scrutiny than those that float a bit, but they still come out of the hands in the same direction. Take a look at Hodgson`s ball to Sutton for his try. If we were giving the benefit of the doubt to the defending side, that would have to be rubbed out too.

[Taniwha Warriors]

Awesome player definitely the different in yesterday's game. 

[The Frying Scotsman]

No great loss to the sport though.

(According to some on here).

[Manfred Mann]

RTS shows what athletic prowess can achieve if the young player has a strong supportive family — parents especially, but also wife and children.

Jarryd Hayne demonstrates how athletic prowess can be wasted and end up in self-destructive behavior if the young player does not have the family support structures.

[Sports Prophet]

I hate to reign all this RTS love in, but I’m not sure his decision to continue the 2020 season based in Aus was particularly “brave” as you say @Manfred Mann. 

Brilliant player though, I do agree. A big loss to the Warriors and RL in 2022 and beyond.

[DavidM]

RTS was brilliant as the Warriors stormed back in that game . The Raiders were doing it massively tough though and just couldn’t stem the bleeding . Then they had a sniff on the final whistle but who was there ... RTS . Fantastic effort . I still think the Raiders look the real deal though overall 

[JonM]

On 27/03/2021 at 08:23, Manfred Mann said:

In 2020 he bravely agreed to live in Australia

You had me in tears at this point. I suppose someone has to live there, though.

Best full-back in the world, a real shame he's going to RU.

[Davo5]

9 hours ago, DavidM said:

RTS was brilliant as the Warriors stormed back in that game . The Raiders were doing it massively tough though and just couldn’t stem the bleeding . Then they had a sniff on the final whistle but who was there ... RTS . Fantastic effort . I still think the Raiders look the real deal though overall 

They weren’t helped by the officials missing a forward pass Tom Brady would have been proud of.

[kiwis 13 6]

RTS was the difference, sad to see him leave the sport at the end of the year but several seasons at the NZ Warriors will do that to you. IN other new it was amazing to see a bad call by the refs favour the NZ Warriors that must be the 1st time ever!!! Only 2 weeks ago Warriors lost to Newcastle when ref awarded a try then Video ref made a BS call that overturned that try...and even NRL boss of referees sad it was a poor call by the video ref.  

[Manfred Mann]

Last night, in the weekly fan vote on the Fox TV show NRL.360 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck easily won the vote for the Best Player of the round, with 73% of the vote in a field of three candidates. One of the Australian commentators wondered how he only got 73%.

[Farmduck]

He ran 253m and only 40m of that was kick returns. During the second half comeback I'll swear he took two middle hitups on every set of six. It was like the number had fallen of his shirt so he just played everywhere.

Overall I'd still rank Teddy #1 but, in the context of the Warriors/Raiders game, RTS's performance was one of the best I've ever seen.

[unapologetic pedant]

On 29/03/2021 at 06:00, kiwis 13 6 said:

Only 2 weeks ago Warriors lost to Newcastle when ref awarded a try then Video ref made a BS call that overturned that try...and even NRL boss of referees sad it was a poor call by the video ref.  

If you`re referring to the Wayde Egan rubbed out try, that was another instance of knock-on derangement syndrome. In this case applied to lost control.

For a player to be regarded as having lost control, there ought to be clear visible separation between hand and ball. But now the sight of the tiniest movement of either hand or ball is enough.

I have to break the news to you that NZ officials suffer from knock-on madness every bit as severely as the Aussies. Which is surprising since they must see plenty of a certain other game where the officials have the opposite approach. It illustrates how NZ RL, for better or worse, is far more influenced by the NRL than anything happening in their own country.

[Oxford]

On 28/03/2021 at 02:18, The Frying Scotsman said:

No great loss to the sport though.

(According to some on here).

I always feel the loss and decry the waste of talent, when it goes in that direction.

[The storm]

On 29/03/2021 at 06:00, kiwis 13 6 said:

RTS was the difference, sad to see him leave the sport at the end of the year but several seasons at the NZ Warriors will do that to you. IN other new it was amazing to see a bad call by the refs favour the NZ Warriors that must be the 1st time ever!!! Only 2 weeks ago Warriors lost to Newcastle when ref awarded a try then Video ref made a BS call that overturned that try...and even NRL boss of referees sad it was a poor call by the video ref.  

RTS will apparantly play on the wing in union 

 

Super rugby is however not doing that well with really poor attendances and viewing figures 

I feel RTS has made the wrong decision and at 28 he has little time to adjust to union 

[DavidM]

14 minutes ago, The storm said:

RTS will apparantly play on the wing in union 

 

Super rugby is however not doing that well with really poor attendances

If he’s on the wing he’ll have plenty of time to count the crowd 

[Taniwha Warriors]

5 hours ago, The storm said:

RTS will apparantly play on the wing in union 

 

Super rugby is however not doing that well with really poor attendances and viewing figures 

I feel RTS has made the wrong decision and at 28 he has little time to adjust to union 

Which super rugby competition are you referring to?

[Oxford]

20 hours ago, The storm said:

I feel RTS has made the wrong decision and at 28 he has little time to adjust to union 

On the wing then he'll be bored to death as well.

Using a thouroughbred race horse to pull the Rag&Bone mans cart! Makes you weep.