Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne survives final cut, makes 49ers roster

The 49ers’ decision to keep Hayne, of course, hardly counts as a surprise given his stellar preseason performance.

The tributes have come flooding in for Jarryd Hayne after the former NRL superstar completed his transition to the National Football League with a spot on the San Francisco 49ers’ final 53-man roster.

It’s still possible that the 49ers could make another roster move in the next week and Hayne won’t be on the team for Week One, but at the moment it appears that Hayne will be a 49er for the 2015 season.

While Hayne is not in the conversation to replace Carlos Hyde or Reggie Bush as the team’s top two running backs, he put himself into solid position to enter the season as the 49ers’ return specialist.

He achieved the second-most rushing yards across the entire NFL.

On Twitter, the hashtag #HaynePlane is soaring and Hayne’s page has over 150,000 followers.

Australia will now wait to see whether the former NSW Origin star will be part of the 49ers’ 46-man squad for their season-opening game against the Minnesota Vikings, which will be played this Tuesday at 12.20pm (AEST).

On Thursday (Friday AEST), Hayne rounded off his preseason with another headline act, leaving San Diego Chargers cornerback Lowell Rose on his back with a ferocious shoulder charge that left Hayne’s team-mates on the sidelines in raptures.

It was widely assumed that the two-time Dally M medallist would make the cut after four impressive pre-season games, but you just never knew. “I’m on the 53-man roster for the 49ers”, Hayne tweeted.

Hayne is 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds and is known for his speed and acceleration in rugby.

Hayne carried 10 times for 58 yards, caught a pair of passes for 17 yards, and returned three punts for 43 yards in a win against the Chargers to conclude his fine preseason.

Against the Dallas Cowboys, Hayne led the 49ers in rushing with 54 yards on just eight carries, including another long run from scrimmage (34 yards).