One of New Zealand rugby's worst-kept secrets will be revealed on Saturday, when the Blues announce the marquee signing of NZ Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck for the 2022 Super Rugby season.
The announcement will end a week of speculation over which franchise the 27-year-old will join, after confirming the code switch from league to rugby.
Early Saturday, at their Auckland headquarters, the Blues are expected to confirm his signature, after looming as frontrunners. Despite interest from rival teams, they seem to have done a deal to secure their man.
The next question will be when he will actually return to rugby - a decision between playing the Mitre 10 Cup provincial competition or playing for the Kiwis at the Rugby League World Cup later this year.
Due to that overlap, he'll have to choose one. If he fronts for the Kiwis, he'd go into Super Rugby cold, which would be an exceptionally tough ask.
He could be expected to play provincial rugby as some stage this year, most likely for Auckland, which would help his transition between codes, but would be a major blow to Kiwis coach Michael Maguire and his World Cup campaign in England.
