Former Kiwis Test star Kevin Locke is to make a code switch and play for the National Rugby Championship’s Greater Sydney Rams, but it doesn’t mean he’s given up on the NRL.

After a six-month injury lay-off following a shoulder recontruction, Locke, 27, will return to competitive sport through a stint with Sydney rugby club Southern Districts in coming weeks before debuting for the Rams in August.

While the Rams act like a feeder side for Super Rugby’s NSW Waratahs, Locke’s manager Scott Hill said no talks had begun about a contract with any franchise in 2017.

“He’s just looking for an avenue to get back into playing football,” Hill told AAP.

Locke, who appeared in 89 games in the NRL for the Warriors and eight Tests for New Zealand, hasn’t played since he left English club Wakefield after he was the passenger in a car accident with former NRL halfback Tim Smith.

The fullback knocked back offers from two rugby union clubs while playing in the northern hemisphere, and had been linked to the Waratahs earlier this month – claims which Hill denied.