Junior Nsemba insists a move to the NRL has never been on the cards, despite clubs showing interest in the back-rower. The Wigan Warriors man penned a six-year deal with the Cherry and Whites back in September, to commit himself to his hometown club until the end of the 2030 season.
The deal continues to be seen as a huge coup for Wigan, with the forward already considered to be one of the very best in his position across the world of rugby league. That’s despite the 20-year-old making just 47 career appearances so far, which includes the three outings he made while on loan at Whitehaven last year.
In the last 12 months the back-rower, has established himself as a starter for Wigan and helped the club claim an historic quadruple, with their Super League season culminating in a win over Hull KR at Old Trafford in the Grand Final. However, November saw him claim his first cap for England, too, with the forward starting at second row in the Test win over Samoa at Headingley.
Indeed, 2024 has been something of a whirlwind for Nsemba, but given the level he is already playing at, it comes as absolutely no surprise to learn that NRL clubs had been in touch before he signed his new deal at the Brick Community Stadium. A move Down Under was never seen as an option, though.
“The NRL were interested, but I wasn’t interested,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s nice to get recognition and people be interested in me, but when the staff are looking after you at a club like Wigan, it’s a loyalty thing.”
On his short career so far, he added: “It has gone crazy. Knowing that I’ve been in a squad that has done the quadruple, which has not been done before in Super League, it’s an amazing feeling.”
A move to rugby union doesn’t look likely any time soon for Nsemba, either, it seems.
“I don’t get the sport!” the Wigan Warriors man added. “I genuinely don’t get it with the way they tackle and everything. I’d need to watch it a bit more first. In the future, I can think about it. But right now, I am loving rugby league.”
