Kiwis coach Stacey Jones says Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has pledged his international allegiance to Samoa.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck played 20 Test matches for the Kiwis but upon his return to rugby league after switching to union, he’s opted to play for Samoa.
“I’ve had talks to Roger and he indicated when he came back to the game he wanted to play for Samoa, represent his family, which I respect," Jones told 1News.
"I said to Rog, 'I would love you to be available for the Kiwis', and he thought really hard, but he had already made his decision when he came back to rugby league to represent Samoa which I respect."
Samoa are set to play England at the end of October.
The Kiwis have also announced their international schedule, with a double header in Christchurch between the Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos before the Kiwis play the Kangaroos on October 27.
The Kiwis will then play Tonga at Mount Smart on November 2, while the Kiwi women will play Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.
There will be men's and women's finals in Sydney the following weekend.
"Its always going to be a challenge when you come into international footy and in particular, the success the team had last year. I was fortunate enough to be a part of it and my understanding is we know where the group needs to be at, we know we've got to go to another level and its going to be a tough series," Jones said.
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