Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is set to become the first NRL star to get on board with the rebel Rugby 360 global competition on a deal reportedly worth upwards of $1 million a season.
The Warriors veteran is under contract with the NRL club until the end of next season on a deal reportedly worth a little more than half of what he could earn the following year if the breakaway union competition becomes a viable concern.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Warriors chief executive Cameron George is aware of the approach for Tuivasa-Sheck but has not made any public statements on the utility back’s playing future.
Melbourne Storm duo Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona are also in the sights of R360 recruiters with the competition being set up by former England rugby centre Mike Tindall.
George said he raised the threat of the rebel comp at a recent NRL CEOs meeting.
“I’m aware of players that have been interviewed and engaged with. I’m aware of the significant financial opportunities that it could bring, particularly around the branding of the players as individuals,” he told the SMH.
“My understanding is that the financial windfalls are real and they’re significant. I’m sure that the financial windfalls are far greater than anything we’ve ever seen before in rugby.”
After winning the Dally M Medal at fullback with the Warriors in 2018, RTS tried his hand at rugby for two seasons with the Auckland Blues in Super Rugby and briefly getting some game time with the All Blacks.
He returned to the Warriors last year, playing mostly at centre, and this year he has been used on the wing.
Ryan Papenhuyzen makes a break to score a try. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The 32-year-old is past his prime but still an elite attacking weapon and his star power will be a drawcard for the rebel union league which is reportedly being backed by Saudi Arabian investors.
R360 is set to be played in the northern hemisphere winters with franchises likely to be dotted around Europe.
Under the plans for the new competition, matches would be taken around the world in major cities across 16 rounds, similar to the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.
Elite players could earn as much as $3 million a season, which is more than double what the highest paid players in the NRL are earning, including Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga, who has engaged the services of a New Zealand-based rugby agent to explore opportunities to hope codes to the Super Rugby competition with a view to potentially becoming an All Black.
There is the potential for an Australia-New Zealand team to be included in R360 along with teams from Europe, the US, South Ameria, Asia and South Africa.
Tuivasa-Sheck has played 223 NRL matches since his debut with the Roosters in 2012. He won a premiership the following year before returning to New Zealand to play for the Warriors in 2016.
He has scored 70 tries and is considered one of the greatest players to have represented the Kiwis in league, playing 20 Tests as well as two for Samoa last year.
