Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has pledged his allegiance to Samoa, choosing to favour the Pacific nation over New Zealand in one of the biggest international swaps this decade.

The Warriors star has been in talks with Samoa since deciding to return to rugby league late last year after spells in Super Rugby and with the All Blacks.

Tuivasa-Sheck, one of New Zealand’s most successful players with 20 Tests and a Dally M Medal, has finally decided to honour the country where he was born and raised.

His move comes ahead of Samoa’s first Test tour of England in late October/November, meaning the dual international will not play for New Zealand in this year’s Pacific Championships.

It also strengthens Samoa’s desire to be a legitimate contender at the 2026 World Cup under manager Ben Gardiner, after reaching the final in 2022.

Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton already represent the country, while Su’a Faalogo is also among the upcoming players.

But with Tuivasa-Sheck they have another absolute star who can attract even more talent.

“He was very positive about the opportunity to play for Samoa,” Gardiner said.

“He has said he is willing to make himself available if his form warrants it.

“When I spoke to Roger it was always about preparing for the World Cup.

“We are trying to build a team so that when Samoa goes to the World Cup in 2026, everyone has played together and knows our playing styles and systems.

“It gives us the chance to beat Samoa even better next time.”

Several big names also featured in Samoa’s monthly teams this season, including Tuivasa-Sheck, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Ronaldo Mulitalo and Payne Haas.

Gardiner also hopes Tuivasa-Sheck won’t be the last to switch from a top country this year. The Penrith assistant has spoken to almost 60 players in the NRL in 2024.

“I hope there are other guys out there who want to make the decision because they want to play for their heritage,” Gardiner said.

“We think the training camp we organised last year was enough to get the players talking.

“We wanted to create a real synergy between the performance culture and religion of rugby league, the Samoan way.

“The biggest topic of conversation surrounding footballers is footballers.

“(If they say to each other) ‘it’s very professional, it will be comparable or better in that sense than New Zealand or the Australian camp’, then I think we are making a difference in our ability to connect the heritage.”

Tuivasa-Sheck’s decision came after the NRL confirmed plans for this year’s Pacific Championships, which will feature Australia, New Zealand and Tonga in the men’s event and the Jillaroos, Kiwi Ferns and Papua New Guinea.

The tournament final will be held at Western Sydney Stadium on the weekend of 8-10 November, marking the first time the Kangaroos have played in Sydney since 2017.

MONKEY