Rugby League World Cup 2013: Kiwis have another class act who could top the bill

Much has been made of the threat to England of the mercurial talents of Sonny Bill Williams, New Zealand’s star man with a union World Cup medal to his name already.

But there is every chance that if New Zealand gain the ascendancy in their semi-final tomorrow, that Williams could be upstaged by rising star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

A year ago, he had played half a dozen games in the NRL. But by the end of this season, he was the star winger of the world’s most prestigious league before being drafted into the World Cup squad and he showed England the danger he poses with two tries in the quarter-final against Scotland.

Looking ahead to the game, the Samoan-born flyer, who moved to New Zealand aged four, said: “That first minute will determine how well we go.”

Whether he gets his hands on the ball in those opening 60 seconds remains to be seen but it is clear his team-mates now see him as a talent capable of conjuring up a bit of magic with his sublime footwork and pace.

“I’ve been lucky to have Shaun Johnson and Sonny Bill Williams inside me,” he said. “Those are the guys creating the space for me and it’s pretty cool to get that. I don’t often get the ball but, when you do on the wing, it’s about making the most of it. It’s so exciting, you just want to make some metres for your mates. If there’s time, you might think about making a plan but mostly it’s just instinct.”

It is this instinct that saw the All Blacks and Kiwis fight over the 20-year-old’s future. The first code he played was union and he was even part of the Auckland Blues’ academy. But in the end, he decided league was the better fit and now he can’t quite believe his luck.

“At the last World Cup when New Zealand won I was at high school with my mates,” added Tuivasa-Sheck. “I never thought I’d be involved in this one. To now be playing with some of those guys is incredible. I was a bit nervous to start with but I feel good now, better each game.”

And for that, England should be worried. He has every confidence that New Zealand will come out on top at Wembley tomorrow but he is also wary of the Burgess brothers, who he calls “a freak show”, and England’s other NRL proponents.

For now, his mind is solely on this World Cup but such are his talents there is every chance he will bid to emulate Williams by making the switch across to the All Blacks. It leaves the youngster slightly awestruck. “I don’t know, it’s possible,” he added. “But that’s way beyond me at the moment.”