The Wallabies have locked away another key piece of their Rugby World Cup 2027 planning, re-signing star centre Len Ikitau on a flexible deal that will see him spend the first half of 2026 at English club Exeter.
Ikitau will join the former Premiership champions after this year's Rugby Championship on a nine-month sabbatical that will then see him return to Australia for the Wallabies' 2026 July Test series.
He will also still be available for the three Tests that fall inside World Rugby's Test window during the Wallabies' 2025 spring tour, against Italy, Ireland and France. While Ikitau will miss the Brumbies' 2026 Super Rugby campaign, he will then return to Canberra and turn out in the blue and white in 2027.
"I'd like to thank the Brumbies and Rugby Australia for their flexibility in this agreement and my family and I are looking forward to a unique life experience in the U.K. with Exeter," Ikitau said.
"To know we'll be coming back home to Canberra and the Brumbies is very reassuring, especially with the home Rugby World Cup not far away."
Ikitau's retention on a two-year deal is a major coup for Rugby Australia, with the midfielder among the world's best centres. After curiously being omitted from Eddie Jones' 2023 World Cup squad, Ikitau returned to the Test scene under Joe Schmidt last season and later produced what was the play of the Wallabies' season when his flick pass put Max Jorgensen away for a match-winning try at Twickenham.
That performance put him squarely back in the sights of overseas clubs, with Exeter winning the race to his signature, albeit on a shorter deal than what the English club would have ideally liked.
But it is exactly the kind of result RA boss Phil Waugh had flagged, the chief executive last week telling reporters he had an "open mind" on deals like the one Ikitau has now signed.
"As you think about that fiscal responsibility, there's some creative solutions that we need to entertain to ensure that we've got optionality to set the game up financially," Waugh said.
"So again, working through a lot of that work as we look forward to 2026 through to 2030, and creative solutions to get to the best outcome for rugby in Australia."
With Ikitau now squared away for the longer term, RA will be hoping they are able to come to a similar arrangement with his Brumbies teammate Tom Wright. The Wallabies fullback is also attracting overseas attention, having established himself as Australia's first-choice custodian in 2024.
If the governing body is able to re-sign Wright it will have secured the nucleus of the starting XV that outgoing Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt favoured last year. Skipper Harry Wilson leads a cast of re-signings that also includes Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams and Fraser McReight, while props Allan Alaalatoa and Angus Bell had already inked longer-term deals last year.
But RA hasn't been able to retain everyone, with Rob Leota the latest Wallaby confirmed to be heading offshore, the back-rower heading to France to join Bayonne while his Waratahs teammate Langi Gleeson will join Montpellier. Brumbies forward Tom Hooper and Wallabies fly-half Noah Lolesio are headed to Exeter and Japan respectively.
Wallabies and Waratahs scrum-half Jake Gordon is another player weighing up his future.
Stints overseas have proved beneficial to Wallabies Andrew Kellaway, Carlo Tizzano and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and RA director of performance Peter Horne was hopeful it would pay similar dividends for Ikitau.
"Len has evolved into an important member of the Wallabies and Brumbies and we are thrilled he has re-committed to Australian rugby," Horne said.
"Such is his standing in the game, Len's services were in high demand by clubs and leagues around the world. But he made clear from the start his desire to be a long-term Wallaby and his excitement to represent his country at a home Rugby World Cup in 2027.
"We believe the short stint in the UK will prove beneficial to Len's continued development and look forward to welcoming him back in the Australian rugby fold before the first Test of the 2026 season."