Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at All Blacks training in Lower Hutt this week. Photo / Getty
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at All Blacks training in Lower Hutt this week. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
When the All Blacks team dropped on Thursday, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck included for the first time, a colleague was incredulous at one possible scenario.
Imagine, he said, if Tuivasa-Sheck was thrown on for his international debut, with New Zealand trailing with 20 minutes to go in the deciding test.
He was correct in surmising that making your bow in those circumstances could be a fearful prospect, but not for Tuivasa-Sheck.
In fact, there's probably no one better. He would love that situation.
Since he was a teenager Tuivasa-Sheck has always yearned for the big occasion, and the chance of performing on a massive stage – for the highest stakes – has driven him more than anything else.
And he's got history, thriving with every new career challenge, whatever the odds.
When he joined the Sydney Roosters in 2012, he was a hot-stepping kid from South Auckland with minimal league experience.
It was a shock at first, especially when he walked into the club gym and encountered several legends of the sport.
"It was pretty out there," Tuivasa-Sheck recalled years later. "I didn't know what to say."
It was a team full of hard heads but he embraced the opportunity.
Expected to find his feet in the Under-20s side, by the end of July Tuivasa-Sheck had forced his way into first grade.
"Everything about him was impressive," then-coach Brian Smith told the Herald. "I couldn't leave him out."
His first taste of genuine pressure came the following season, as he became a regular (25 games). He scored the only try in the tense 4-0 playoff win over Manly, before facing the same opponents in the NRL grand final.
There will be tension and anxiety on Saturday, but no greater than representing a foundation club in the 'big dance', looking for just their second premiership in 38 years.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was quickly embraced by the Roosters. Photo / Getty
Or what about the Rugby League World Cup later that year?
The 20-year-old had never played for the Kiwis before the tournament but was superb, a whirlwind on the wing with eight tries.
There will be high stakes in Wellington but not greater than facing England in a World Cup semifinal at Wembley, with a crowd of almost 70,000.
Tuivasa-Sheck was far from overawed, with two brilliant tries in the 20-18 win.
Observing his career since 2012, I've consistently been amazed by his capacity to learn and constantly improve. There's great natural talent, but the special sauce is his drive, desire and determination.
That was epitomised when he was switched to fullback for the 2015 NRL season.
Not only is it one of the most demanding positions, but Tuivasa-Sheck was taking over from Anthony Minichiello, who had played more games and scored more tries for the Roosters than anyone else.
That should have been daunting, but 'Mini' was soon forgotten, as Tuivasa-Sheck dazzled, named Dally M fullback of the year.
In 2016 he arrived at the Warriors as the marquee man to turn the ship around, and that pressure and expectation only increased in 2017, when the 23-year-old was made captain.
It was an unforgiving assignment, especially coming off an ACL reconstruction, but Tuivasa-Sheck took on the challenge.
That season was an awful initiation as the team struggled, with nine consecutive losses at one stage. But Tuivasa-Sheck never wavered – inspiring through force of will as well as footwork – and maintained the highest of standards, with 10 tries.
His coronation came the following year, as he helped the Warriors end an eight-year finals absence with a series of inspirational performances, becoming the first Kiwi honoured as the Dally M player of the year.
That was special, but possibly his finest hour came in 2020, as he seemed to carry the entire club on his shoulders through the Covid chaos.
Tuivasa-Sheck is still learning the finer arts of rugby but he's got nothing left to learn about pressure, expectation or seizing the moment.
Facing this superb Irish team is a tough initiation, but Tuivasa-Sheck isn't one to stay in the shadows.
