Israel Folau is set to play for Australia to the end of 2022 after reportedly signing a four-year contract extension with Rugby Australia, the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs.
The 29-year-old superstar put pen to paper on the new deal some time ago, but Rugby Australia and Waratahs have kept the announcement under wraps, Fairfax reports.
It is believed Folau’s controversial anti-gay comments in April delayed negotiations before the dual international recommitted to NSW and Australia.
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The apparent retention of the 69-Test superstar comes hot on the heels of Rugby Australia’s re-signing of several other big-name players in 2018.
Test captain Michael Hooper and gun young tighthead prop Allan Alaalatoa have both signed on for another five years, while playmaker Bernard Foley last week announced he was sticking around in Australia until at least after next year’s World Cup in Japan.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson was delighted to secure the star man, telling assembled media on Wednesday that Folau was integral to his side’s future plans.
Folau is expected to provide more details on the contract later on Wednesday from the Wallabies’ training camp in Japan, ahead of the weekend’s Bledisloe clash against New Zealand.
Meanwhile, All Blacks star Beauden Barrett is open to the idea of a sabbatical in Japan as he and other leading NZ players eye lucrative offshore moves following next year’s World Cup.
Playmaker Barrett and world class locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick are among those reportedly considering club contracts or simply requesting a break before targeting a return to New Zealand ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France.
New Zealand Rugby has previously granted sabbatical clauses in the contracts of its premier players.
Dan Carter had a lucrative French experience in 2008 while Richie McCaw simply took six months off in 2013, a move he said extended his career.
Japan is increasingly being seen by NZR as a preferred destination for its players, primarily because it isn’t as physically demanding as club rugby in Europe.
Several players just below All Blacks level are currently on short-term Japanese deals and will return for next year’s Super Rugby season.
Two-time world player of the year Barrett was upbeat about the prospect of beginning his next Kiwi contract with a taste of life and rugby in Asia.
“There is a lot to like about Japan,” he told journalists in Tokyo in the lead-up to Saturday’s Test against the Wallabies.
“What I can say is there is good open communication with the coaches, my management and NZR and I am happy that at the right time I will make the right decision.”