Rugby bosses 'fuming' as Suaalii clone poached

1 year ago 50

The Roosters person signed a Joseph Suaalii clone from New Zealand - and Kiwi rugby national officials are fuming.

Tavita Henare-Schuster, a towering 20-year-old extracurricular backmost from the Hurricanes, was being groomed for Super Rugby and the All Blacks crossed the ditch.

But the Roosters person swooped connected the youngster this week and enactment him connected a improvement declaration that could spot him playing successful the NRL wrong the adjacent 12 months.

"The rugby national radical had developed Tavita implicit the past fewer years and knew they had thing precise peculiar connected their hands," Henare-Schuster's manager Pierre Tannous told Wide World of Sports.

"But astatine the extremity of the day, helium wanted to effort his manus astatine league and erstwhile the Roosters came calling, it was an casual decision.

"They played him successful a proceedings earlier Christmas and aft 15 minutes they took him disconnected the field.

"When I asked them why, they said, 'We've seen capable - we privation him'."

Like Suaalii, Henare-Schuster is simply a beardown shot bearer who plays some fullback and wing, with bully footwork and plentifulness of pace.

VISA ISSUES NO OBSTACLE

Big English signing John Bateman continues to beryllium plagued by visa issues - but owed to the marvels of modern exertion helium hasn't missed a azygous Wests Tigers grooming session.

Tigers manager Tim Sheens is sending videos of each the Tigers' sessions to Bateman successful the UK, truthful helium tin ticker them portion helium waits for migration officials to benignant retired the reddish portion that is preventing him from flying to Sydney.

Bateman signs semipermanent Tigers deal

"I privation him to spot everything we bash truthful helium tin truly deed the crushed moving erstwhile helium gets here, hopefully successful the adjacent fewer weeks," Sheens told Wide World of Sports.

"I'm besides going to nonstop him our 2 upcoming proceedings matches truthful helium tin spot the squad successful enactment and larn the moves we are using.

"It's been a spot of a hiccup with the visa problems but I'm not worried. He's signed for 4 years truthful we are some successful this for the agelong haul."

BULLDOGS SPREE CONTINUES

The Bulldogs build-up continues, with the nine signing 1 of the astir promising young forwards successful Queensland.

Duquan Talaepa is simply a pugnacious 16-year-old borderline oregon mediate guardant from the Mabel Park School adjacent Brisbane.

The hard-running youngster made a large content playing for Queensland successful the nationalist nether 15 championships past twelvemonth and Bulldogs scouts bushed respective clubs to get him to enactment pen to paper.

He besides shone successful the Cyril Connell Cup playing for Souths Magpies and volition walk the adjacent mates of years finishing his schooling successful Queensland but volition marque regular visits to Bulldogs HQ to cheque successful with Phil Gould and the coaching staff.

Star Bulldogs signing admits getting 'cold feet'

STAR'S SACRIFICE FOR FAMILY

Alex Seyfarth has fixed up the accidental of a beingness - for his unborn child.

The rangy guardant is coming disconnected declaration astatine the Tigers astatine the extremity of this twelvemonth and is nary certainty to get a caller deal.

The Warriors past week offered Seyfarth a lucrative three-year woody starting successful 2024.

At 24, it was a large accidental for Seyfarth, but helium knocked it backmost due to the fact that his woman is large and they privation to enactment adjacent household enactment successful Sydney erstwhile the babe is born.

There are things successful beingness bigger than football, and the Warriors understood Seyfarth's decision.

Follow The Mole on: Twitter, Facebook, and connected Instagram @77moley77

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!