In a major boost for Australian rugby, the country’s best Super Rugby player of the past two years, Fraser McReight, has re-signed with the Queensland Reds.
A week after The Roar revealed that McReight was strongly weighing up a move to the land of the rising sun, the 26-year-old turned down a $1.3 million deal in Japan to sign a new three-year deal with the Reds that will keep the openside flanker in the country beyond the 2027 home World Cup.
An announcement is expected in the coming days.
There were genuine fears that McReight would head offshore given the money on the table for the outstanding loose-forward, but it’s believed the governing body moved over the past week on a couple of occasions to ensure he stays put.
While McReight will still leave a little more than a $1m on the table over the coming years, the former Junior Wallabies captain was happy to do so to ensure he builds a legacy in the game.
Wallabies star Fraser McReight has re-signed with Australian rugby. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
McReight’s retention continued a great week for Rugby Australia after announcing on Wednesday that 2023 World Cup teammates Nick Frost and Matt Faessler were also staying put in Super Rugby in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Importantly, the signing spree has focussed on retaining the Wallabies’ pack – a change in years gone by where flashy backs were considered priority number one.
By putting pen to paper, McReight has the chance to become a Wallabies great.
Already one of the few members of Joe Schmidt’s side who would challenge for a World 15 spot, McReight can do what several Wallabies greats never did by winning a World Cup.
Indeed, for George Smith’s incredible ability to turn a game on either side of the ball, David Pocock’s on-ball prowess and Michael Hooper’s doggedness and work-rate, none of them won a World Cup despite all three playing in a World Cup final. The trio, along with Phil Waugh, were also bundled out in quarter-finals, while Pocock is the only No.7 of the past two decades to feature at three World Cups.
Fraser McReight can become a Queensland and Australian rugby great. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
His re-signing is doubly important because of his combination with back-row teammate and incumbent Test captain Harry Wilson, as well as halfback Tate McDermott, with the trio a triple threat for the Wallabies and Queensland Reds.
Earlier on Thursday Faessler, the excellent hooker, who penned his own two-year deal to stay at the Reds through to the end of 2027, had hinted that his teammate was set to stay.
“We’ll see what Fraser’s decision is over the next couple of days … it’ll be awesome to see him stay,” Faessler said ahead of Saturday’s derby with the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium.
“We’re building a nice crew that’s staying together here and we’re hoping to transfer that onto the field.”