Leeds Rhinos' Jack Bird talks 'try-scoring freak' Maika Sivo & Wakefield Trinity's Roger Tuivasa-Sheck coup
Leeds Rhinos centre Jack Bird has spoken about two NRL superstars who will be rivals in Super League next year.
Former Parramatta Eels winger Maika Sivo has made a huge impact for Rhinos this season, scoring 14 tries in his first six league and cup games. Another NRL legend will move to England for the 2027 campaign when New Zealand Warriors’ Roger Tuivasa-Sheck joins Wakefield Trinity.
Bird, signed in February from Wests Tigers, has played against both in the southern hemisphere and been on Sivo’s team in Leeds’ past two matches. He described the Fijian international as “a big man, a try-scoring freak”. Bird said: “He has scored 12 [Super League] tries in five games, that’s more than I have in one whole year. He knows how to find the line so I am glad he is on my team. I used to come up against him in the NRL so I know how hard he is to tackle.”
Bird has an equally high opinion of Trinity’s star recruit, a New Zealand dual-code international who has also played in Tests for Samoa. “He is a great player,” he said of Tuivasa-Sheck. “It [signing for Wakefield] caught me by surprise, but good for him - I am happy for him. He is a great signing for them and for Super League. I am really looking forward to coming up against him next year.”
Bird’s arrival at Leeds didn’t capture as many headlines, but he impressed during his first full game, scoring a try in last Sunday’s 26-22 win against Warrington Wolves. Coach Brad Arthur has confirmed Bird, who replaced Harry Newman at right-centre, will retain his place for tomorrow’s (Friday) big derby at Bradford Bulls.
He didn’t feature in Leeds’ first four matches after his arrival in England last month, but was called into the team as a substitute at Hull FC two weeks ago and played the full-80 against Warrington. He said: “I wasn’t expecting to play straight away, I was a bit out of shape, not fit enough and I knew I had to bide my time and earn my position.
“I didn’t want to come over here and just step into someone’s shoes, I wanted to earn it. I got 12-15 minutes [against Hull] and I was happy with that because I hadn’t played in six or seven months.
“I was a bit surprised to be starting [last week], but I was excited. I am 31 now so I want to try and turn the clock back a little bit. I am not as fast as I used to be, but probably a bit stronger. I felt really good out there and hopefully I can keep building on that.”
Bird saw good signs in the way Leeds battled back from 12-0 down to end Warrington’s unbeaten start to the season. “It was a tough, gritty win,” he reflected. “If we can keep doing that each week we will put a lot of teams away.”
Leeds are likely to need a similar gutsy effort in their first Betfred Super League game at Odsal since 2014. Bulls are expecting a crowd of 15,000 and Bird knows that - and their loss at Castleford Tigers eight days earlier - will mean the hosts come out firing.
“The crowds in the NRL are massive as well, but here it is a different atmosphere completely,” he said. “I am new to it, but I am loving every minute of it and the Leeds fans are great. I know Leeds against Bradford is kind of a grudge match, but I have heard it is a big occasion. They are coming off a loss so we know they are going to be up for a big one.”