New Zealand Warriors coach Andrew Webster was questioned on the early arrival of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck after rumours ran rampant that he could make an early return back to the NRL.
Ahead of the Rugby World Cup, Tuivasa-Sheck was not named in the New Zealand All Blacks squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship. This decision came just days after he wasn't chosen to play in the Super Rugby semi-final for the Blues, despite being available.
As the Blues went out in the finals and Tuivasa-Sheck's hopes of playing in the World Cup went down the drain, it meant he would not play another game of rugby union before re-joining the Warriors next year.
However, the former Dally M medallist is planning to play in the National Provincial Championship - the lower leagues of New Zealand rugby union - which begins in August and ends in September. But this has yet to be confirmed.
At a press conference today, Warriors coach Andrew Webster was quizzed on whether or not Tuivasa-Sheck will make an early return to the NRL.
"Honestly, I have not mentioned that to anyone that Roger will be coming," said Warriors coach Andrew Webster.
"No one's even mentioned that to me. Barring people in the public and media, I haven't heard it from anywhere internally. We certainly have not spoken to Roger about that."
The vague words from Webster didn't confirm any truth to the rumours, nor did it shut down the same reports. No matter the case, Tuivasa-Sheck will join them at the end of this season in time for 2024.