The 28-year-old made shocking news by joining the Fiji National team in Rugby 7’s. The reason is clear — Fiji is currently favored to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games later this summer in Rio.
San Francisco didn’t rule out a return to the team after the games are over, but head coach Chip Kelly admitted that it was never brought up and after playing a limited role last year, much of which was on the practice squad, many now believe he will return to the NRL in 2017.
The Australian rugby star shocked his home country when he decided to leave the Parramatta Eels in 2015 to pursue his “dream” of playing professional football. The NFL is shown each week on TV in the country “down under” and while not huge in ratings, his first game with the 49ers was watched by more Australians than any Super Bowl.
Media covered his new journey with a buzz of a rock star and when he was released last season, news of a return to rugby started, but Hayne quickly squashed the talk by resigning with San Francisco, but his playing time was limited and talk was he could sign elsewhere in the off season.
Hayne showed up for off season workouts a couple weeks back, making this move even more intriguing, but one never to shy away from the spotlight, this move has made big news in both hemispheres and could lead to a lucrative deal if he returns to the NRL.
Reports already have four teams expressing interest, but with the recent Eels salary cap scandal, its highly unlikely a return to his former team is even possible. The Sydney Roosters are the best bet at this point, not only with the money, but with a good group of young players, the leadership and explosiveness of Hayne could bring a Premiership to Bondi Beach.
