Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Getting The Ball To Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
As soon as Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's return to Aotearoa Warriors was made official, minds were spinning about what role he would play and how he would fit into a top-four team. Success in 2023 featured Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's best footy at fullback and NZ Warriors rolled through the season with depth in their backline, yet Tuivasa-Sheck was always going to command a top-17 spot at Mt Smart and all signs point to him locking down the left centre position.
There wasn't much to learn from Tuivasa-Sheck's stint in rugby union aside from a lack of clarity in his role. No one really cares about the intricacies of Tuivasa-Sheck in rugby union but for whatever reason, he was shuffled through multiple positions in a short period of time. Perhaps the only thing we can learn from that period is that giving Tuivasa-Sheck a clear role where he can excel in the nuance of that position, as well as building combinations with those around him is ideal.
Tuivasa-Sheck will spend time at fullback this season as mid-game cover for Nicoll-Klosktad or Taine Tuaupiki. This is a key element of the NZW squad this year as they can absorb injuries/HIA or sin-bins thanks to versatility and planning. Coach Andrew Webster has stated that Tuivasa-Sheck will play centre and that Tuaupiki is the next up fullback behind Nicoll-Klokstad. That's how things played out in two trial games and while Tuivasa-Sheck is the perfect bloke to have as a fullback option just in case, let's assume that Tuivasa-Sheck is the left centre for NZW this season.
All the buzz this summer has been about Tuivasa-Sheck roaming, drifting away from his left centre spot to follow his intuition and pop up around the footy. Coach Webster has planted those seeds and they are aligned with the desire of many folks to see Tuivasa-Sheck on the ball as much as possible. NZW have ample attacking options though and the trials games have mapped out how easy it is to get Tuivasa-Sheck enough footy.
The baseline for Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback was 20 runs for 200m. That's 20 runs averaging 10m/run and very few fullbacks (Dylan Edwards is the best) let alone forwards hit that mark. The baseline for Tuivasa-Sheck at centre seems like 10 runs for 100m. That's a conservative baseline considering Matthew Timoko averaged 158m/game last season, while Valentine Holmes and Herbie Farnworth were a smidge below 170m/game. Whatever tally Tuivasa-Sheck puts up, he is a near-certainty to average 10m/run or more and that efficiency will be crucial in NZW attack.
Regardless of what stats Tuivasa-Sheck offers, NZW will get him the footy without a desperation for Tuivasa-Sheck to roam. Most, if not all of Tuivasa-Sheck's runs as left centre in the trials were on the left edge. Sometimes Tuivasa-Sheck pops up one-pass off the right side of the ruck when NZW are working out of their own territory but this isn't 'roaming' as it's regular mahi for outside backs in the NRL.
There are two buckets for Tuivasa-Sheck's runs: rugged mahi and getting him one on one with his opposition centre.
Tuivasa-Sheck is an excellent metre-eater in the NZW half. His footwork makes defenders miss and in most examples shown, he lands on his hands and knees to earn a quick play-the-ball. In these metre-eater sets, Tuivasa-Sheck takes one run and folks shouldn't expect any more than that. One run is enough for Tuivasa-Sheck to change the vibe of a set, punch through the line and scatter defenders.
Some of the examples in the trials have NZW offering shape and a basic mindset to shift the footy to Tuivasa-Sheck. This gets a bit crazy in the kick-off return against Dolphins as Addin Fonua-Blake slides sideways and passes to get around the Dolphins pressure. There is a play off a scrum against Tigers in which NZW shift early to Tuivasa-Sheck and another where two passes get the ball out left, where Tuivasa-Sheck has time and space to get busy.
One sneaky thing is how Tuivsaa-Sheck takes runs on the left of the ruck. In one example he is the only NZW player on the left which gives the impression that the footy is going right and in other examples he is on the left with his left edge homies. Considering how effective NZW were and are in peppering middle defences with shape, as well as getting the footy to Shaun Johnson; Tuivasa-Sheck is the ideal lad to take advantage of defences that worry about the middle and right attack of NZW.
NZW can use their passing shape and right edge as decoys to ensure Tuivasa-Sheck has space on the left. As Tuivasa-Sheck has the best footwork (ever) in either code and is a potent running threat, he also makes for an intriguing decoy. NZW rolled out a slick short-side play in the loss to Rabbitohs last year which was on show against Dolphins last weekend, with different decoys (Jackson Ford and Tuivsasa-Sheck) for the same result in a try for Marcelo Montoya.
Defending at centre is tricky and can be more about decision making rather than tackling. NZW coaches and Tuivasa-Sheck will do all the mahi to prepare for attacking shapes. Tuivasa-Sheck may fall off tackles and he may make mistakes in reading the play but everyone knows how hard Tuivasa-Sheck will work in defence. The same applies to Ford and Montoya as well as Luke Metcalf (who seems likely to start in the halves, if not then Te Maire Martin's goes hard too) who have earned selection under coach Webster thanks to their effort.
Montoya will steam in to whack attackers when the left edge is compromised. NZW fans know that and opposition teams know it as well. Tuivasa-Sheck's mana offers lovely cover for Montoya as he will make the effort to wrap behind Montoya along with Ford. Many of the defensive nuances that came through experience can be brushed aside by effort and Tuivasa-Sheck won't just fit in with his effort, he will lead his edge with effort in defence.
Tuivasa-Sheck may roam over to the right edge later in the season but folks shouldn't get their hopes up about Tuivasa-Sheck being a multi-run demon in every set. Tuivasa-Sheck will need to make his tackles and battle fatigue to hold down his edge defensively, while making the most of every run he gets. Tuivasa-Sheck can still have 15 runs per game without roaming and the best thing about Tuivasa-Sheck is that he will be difficult to tackle in every single run - hence he always averages at least 10m/run.
This is especially notable in the NZW system under coach Webster. NZW love their passing shapes in the middle and Rocco Berry deserves his own space out on the right edge. Perhaps Tuivasa-Sheck may pop up alongside Wayde Egan for some dummy half funk but even then, that's where Nicoll-Klokstad/Tuaupiki will be. Everything about Tuivasa-Sheck's mahi in the two trials suggests that he will be dynamic at left centre. As it's difficult for multiple defenders to wrap him up, ponder how slick Tuivasa-Sheck can be against one defender with attacking shape complicating the defensive plan.
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