Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a rugby league icon in New Zealand, captain of the Warriors and long-term Kiwi representative who has jumped ship to rugby.
His switch to pursue a chance at representing the All Blacks in the 2023 World Cup is the kind of “shock defection” between the codes which used to get the club officials, media and fans up in arms.
However, there has been barely any will towards RTS since he announced his decision last January.
A couple of decades ago at the height of rugby’s raids on the NRL ranks, a Dally M Medal winner leaving the code for the bitter 15-player rivals would have been cause for the outrage brigade to point to the sky and be adamant it was falling in.
There have been some talented rugby players heading the other way too in the off-season, although not as high-profile as the 28-year-old former Warriors fullback.
Rugby sevens duo Lachlan Miller, who has joined Cronulla, and Kiwi Olympic silver medallist Will Warbrick, a Melbourne Storm recruit, are trying to break into the NRL in 2022.
The women’s rugby teams have been awash with cross-code players in recent years with Charlotte Caslick, Ellia Green and Evania Pelite among many who have had a foot in each camp.
Is it possible that the rugby codes have matured to an extent where professional athletes switching between one and the other is no longer cause for five-alarm fire bells to ring?
League raided rugby’s ranks for decades since the great split in the late 1800s in the UK and from 1908 in Australia. By the 1980s, league’s chequebooks were winning the battle for the best talent more than ever with former Wallabies Ray Price and Michael O’Connor and ex-schoolboy star Wally Lewis dominating the professional code’s landscape while rugby defiantly hung onto its amateur status.
When rugby turned professional in the mid 1990s it didn’t take long for the empire to strike back in the star wars – when the likes of Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuiqiri were lured to union around the turn of the century, the NRL community was crying foul, conveniently overlooking the fact that league had been stealing talent from its rival code for generations.
Long-time administrator Shane Richardson, who was CEO of the Penrith Panthers in 2002, summed his response to the hysteria in typically blunt fashion when asked specifically about Tuqiri taking up a lucrative offer from what was then known as the Australian Rugby Union.
“It won’t even rate as a pimple on rugby league’s backside.”
This was an unpopular belief at the time but it has rung true. For those who remember the awesome sight of Tuqiri in his prime will recall he was the living embodiment of the modern winger – a towering physical specimen with the speed and power to put fear in opposing forwards as well as the backs.
When future Immortal Andrew Johns flirted with a possible switch to rugby, it was a monumental moment for both codes.
In a memorably intense appearance on the NRL Footy Show one Thursday night in 2004, sitting alongside his brother Matthew who was a co-host, Johns was supposed to reveal whether he would become a Waratah in the hope of becoming a dual international or stick with the Newcastle Knights.
He squirmed in the live TV spotlight, genuinely unsure of which way to go and ultimately told the panel and the fan bases hanging on his every word “I don’t know what I’m going to do”.
After a late-night heart to heart with his brother away from the cameras, the 30-year-old halfback stuck with league to finish out his career which was unfortunately cut short by neck surgery in 2007.
The stakes were so much higher then. If “Joey” had made the switch, he could have been a revelation or perhaps he could have struggled to adapt like Benji Marshall in his brief foray with the Auckland Blues in 2014, but Johns would have given rugby an enormous amount of publicity which could have dramatically changed the sport’s trajectory in Australia, which has been trending downwards on several fronts over the past decade in particular.
St George Illawarra centre Mark Gasnier was another leaguie who made a contentious switch to rugby but after rejecting an ARU multimillion-dollar bid in 2006, his move was more about escaping the media spotlight in Sydney, heading to France for a two-year club stint in 2008 before returning to be part of the Dragons’ 2010 premiership victory.
Of course the player who has caused the most friction between the rugby codes in the Antipodes in modern times has been Sonny Bill Williams.
After an absolute firestorm when he walked out on Canterbury to play rugby in France and eventually become an All Black, he managed to make a transition back to the NRL to be part of the Roosters’ 2013 grand final triumph, return to the rugby in his homeland and finish his football career with a brief five-game stint at the Tricolours two years ago.
Being able to have four stints, which included 58 Tests for the All Blacks, either side of the Tasman in the varying codes is only possible if you have SBW’s superb talent. Don’t expect that to become the norm.
However, the two-way flow of talent will only become more and more commonplace, particularly for players who grew up with one version before trying another, like Suliasi Vunivalu, Tepai Moeroa, Marika Koroibete, Semi Radradra have bounced back and forth in recent years.
The Wallabies would love to see former schoolboy rugby prodigies like Angus Crichton and Cameron Murray do likewise. Murray is contracted to the Rabbitohs until the end of 2025 but Crichton is off contract at the Roosters at the end of this year.
It’d be much better for Rugby Australia to throw its limited resources at players like that rather than Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt who seemed to be driven by the pursuit of fame and fortune rather than the Wallabies tradition.
In the case of the latest high-profile code hopper, Tuivasa-Sheck recently said he feels like a rookie messing up as he learns the intricacies of rugby despite playing extensively as a teenager before hitting the big time in the NRL.
Such is the respect he commands from the Warriors, they were magnanimous in allowing him to leave his contract early and have done nothing but wish him well.
Perhaps they are hoping history repeats because Rogers, Tuqiri, Sailor, Gasnier, SBW all eventually returned to the NRL.
Nat
Roar Guru
I don't know why this reply never came up as a reply. Sry for a 3 day late reply. I'm not here to bag on Union, my original reply was optimistic towards the code but it won't be a quick turn around. There's an element of truth in your statement but also some generalisations. Covid has been devastating for all sports the world over and the fact the SR was played across multiple countries as one comp affected it far more than the NRL. It's a bit hard to bubble every team from 4 or 5 countries. However, the issues with SR AU specifically started long before covid hit. There is running at a loss and just being broke because the crowds and viewers just are not there. The advantage the NRL has, especially in Sydney, is there is many clubs. When the Tahs are bad every revenue stream drops. If Souths Rabbitohs are bad, it is 1/9 so TV viewers and gate taking from many other clubs make up the difference from one supporter group. That said, most NRL clubs still run at a loss. Often $-supported by their Leagues club but they know they will get another $13m from the NRL next season so what do they care? How good would it be to run a business like that so that's where SR and NRL clubs are similar. Ideally they wouldn't run at a loss but unless it's gets so dire, eg Gold Coast a few years back, they won't be cutting clubs due to under funding.
Bartz
Roar Rookie
Thorn has also shown himself to be a pretty decent coach as well. He’s certainly helped turn the Qld Reds around.
Randy
Roar Rookie
NRL is still the largest domestic "rugby" competition in the world though based on average crowd and TV revenue.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Rugby Union was created in England and spread around the world but it is only a minor game everywhere except for New Zealand and South Africa. NZ didn't care that SA was apartheid.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
I went to Uni in Canberra with many from the Aussie Rules states. They knew about rugby but had not seen any rugby league whereas I had played Aussie Rules and Rugby League. Most had a team in Melbourne as well as a team in their own state. None of them played but they knew Aussie Rules was a better game than rugby. The Canberra TV station showed the Saturday VFL game live and showed a Sydney Rugby League game on Sunday night after the Sunday night movie at about 10:30. When the Canberra Raiders joined the competition in 1982 many gained an appreciation of Rugby League.
criag
Roar Rookie
Although the rulings in rugby can be these confusing these days (I learned them when I was 6 and played for many years), that is not what I'm talking about at all. I'm talking about new rules brought in in 1991 that destroyed a beautiful game - my favourite game until I could watch it no more - as a spectacle. I've detailed it before in an article, but basically the use it or lose it rule sounds positive, but it has led to a game with no properly contested rucks and mauls anymore. You end up with one or two in the ruck and then one pass, ruck, one pass, ruck, etc and these god-awful 'phases'. The end result is almost entire rugby teams lined up against each other. To make rugby a better game, they need to get to the situation where the backs and forwards are separated from each other, go back to the 'forward momentum' rule for awarding scrums, and give the scoring system an upheaval to put an end to the constant stoppages. Yes, as I've said, rugby league could be better. Both codes have suffered at the hands of meddling administrators attempting to fix things that weren't broken, but you oversimplify league. There are many great tries scored in that game.
Chufortah
Guest
I see you gripe about the rules, but c'mon I think the reaction is a little over the top - the rules aren't that confusing, I learnt them when I was around 10. The interpretation is rugby's biggest problem, and a game can sometimes be dependent on the ref in charge. But so can league... A good rugby game will destroy a good league game, but a bad rugby game will lose to a bad league game... and that is why most people like league for its simplicity, and the fact that most games are average but still better than an average rugby game for the average punter... I like it all, but struggle to enjoy league without my beloved Bears. Sadly, I have to have a punt these days to watch league and get interested, apart from State of Origin and the GF (even SOO is getting tired and a bit stale without the biff)\. Much more money in rugby globally, by far, so it's not about travel but experiencing a world game played in most corners of the globe, as opposed to Sydney, the North of England, and Auckland. So I disagree that 5 hit-ups and kick is more interesting - its just a very simple game, hence it's appeal for those not appreciate the complexities of rugby union.
John Hanrahan
Roar Rookie
Mat Rogers played 6 years of Rugby in High School. Andrew Walker played for Randwick and some Rugby as a junior.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Yes they said that Ray. Why are people so unkind?
Paulo
Roar Rookie
“ A fair balanced view Paulo.” Thanks Ken, that’s what I tend to aim for… Except when the ABs or Saders are playing. Although I just moved to the Bay of Plenty, so maybe I need to add BOP in the ITM cup to that list?
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
“ While some will ‘hate’ the other code, and while they tend to be the loudest, I suspect most don’t consider the other code more than a distraction” A fair balanced view Paulo. Too many rivalries are media beat ups. They do it for eyeballs, and they get them, but the rest of us don’t share in their superficial ‘win’.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Early days it was a mortal sin to cross codes .These days it s pretty common . The fact is either code relies on players to cross over to survive and they've both managed to do so . It's All in the mind .
surfside66
Roar Rookie
Last Sunday in Paris the attendance for the Six Nations Rugby Championship between France and Italy was 78,750. The television viewing figure in France alone was 7-million. Anyone on this planet who seriously believes Rugby League will ever threaten Rugby Union as a worldwide sport, should seek immediate psychiatric treatment.
criag
Roar Rookie
The class divide in rugby league is a bit of a myth, really. The wealthy northern areas of the eastern suburbs are rugby union territory, and as you alluded to, there are plenty of wealthy areas all around Sydney. The rest is the usual mix.
Sammy
Guest
Yes apologies for missing John Schuster (RU NZ, RL Samoa) and Matthew Ridge (RU NZ, RL NZ) from the "Union First" Dual International list. Also note that Ray Price is already listed. Some critics often point out that both Matthew Ridge and Ricky Stuart never played proper Rugby Union Test Matches, only tour matches. But they still count as representing your country. As for Daryl Halligan, he never played International Rugby Union at a senior level.
criag
Roar Rookie
I'm not a hater. I would love to love rugby like I used to. But as I've said before, even though I'm an old GPS boy, I just can't watch it now; it's been absolutely slaughtered by the rules - particularly the deceptively named 'Use It Or Lose It' rule. League has its own problems with stupid new rules, but it is an infinitely more entertaining game. I don't care how many countries play rugby union - it doesn't make it a better game. As for players jumping from league to union, I'm sure a lot of them come back simply because although travelling the world is all very nice, they get bored.
Objective
Guest
Pretty funny reading the morons from both sides attacking the other. It's actually possible to like both. Jeepers, I even like the A-League and AFL as well. And if you don't like a code.........DON'T WATCH IT !!!!!!!
RayinSydney
Roar Rookie
Did'nt someone say once that wingers are blokes that hang around with Rugby players?...or something along those lines :stoked:
Tom G
Roar Rookie
That is a really good point. I’m all for strong pathways in both codes. However many who ‘code hop’ are returning to the game they grew up playing
Tom G
Roar Rookie
That’s why the All Blacks are so tough to beat.. SBW was a second pick to Nonu, prior to him Dan Carter had to sit on the bench for Mehrtens.. they have had a scary amount of depth for longer than i care to remember.