Wallabies star Len Ikitau has put pen to a fresh Rugby Australia and Brumbies contract that will keep him available for national selection until the 2027 World Cup.
But his new two-year deal will include a sabbatical which means he will only play one season of Super Rugby in the nation’s capital.
Ikitau has signed a flexible deal that will allow him to play a season in the UK in 2026 before returning home for 2027.
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He will play the remainder of this year’s Super Rugby season before heading into Wallabies camp.
After the second Bledisloe Cup match in Perth in October, Ikitau will head to the UK for a nine-month stint with Exeter on a deal reportedly worth about $770,000. He will still be available for Aussie selection in the Spring Tour.
Len Ikitau will miss a season of Super Rugby to play in the UK. Getty
He will return to Australia next July for Wallabies duties, and rejoin the Brumbies for the 2027 Super Rugby season. Ikitau has played 39 Tests for the Wallabies since his debut in 2021.
It’s not the first time Rugby Australia have included sabbaticals in contract negotiations. David Pocock and Michael Hooper missed seasons of Super Rugby in 2017 and 2021 to play in Japan. Current Wallabies Rob Valetini, Angus Bell and Tate McDermott also have options in their contracts that would allow them to miss a season without threatening their Wallabies selection.
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Rugby New Zealand has also gone down a similar route with several All Blacks stars including Ardie Savea, Beauden Barret and Brodie Rettalick.
“You don’t want to be that one person that goes this season, and then you never hear of them or see them again until they retire,” Ikitau said per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I wanted to make sure that I’m putting my hand up and make sure that I’m playing in Australia to hopefully play in that World Cup in 2027.
“I didn’t want to take any risk in terms of playing overseas.”
Len Ikitau of the Brumbies scores a try. Getty
Rugby Australia traditionally doesn’t choose Wallabies representatives from those playing overseas. The sabbaticals are seen as the best of both worlds.
Ikitau said the deal gives his young family a golden opportunity to live abroad, but with the safety net of a guaranteed job on his return.
“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 UK with Exeter,” he said in a release announcing the deal.
“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.”
RA high-performance director Peter Horne said the sabbatical would “prove beneficial to Len’s continued development”.
“Such is his standing in the game, Len’s services were in high demand by clubs and leagues around the world,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
