Ioane resists the lure of the Yen
Electrifying Wallabies wing Digby Ioane has ended speculation about his future by signing a three-year contract with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) after rejecting a massive offer to play in Japan.
The Queensland Reds flyer, who starred in his franchise’s victorious Super Rugby campaign earlier this year before playing a leading role in Australia’s march to Tri-Nations glory will remain in Brisbane until 2014 under the terms of his new extended contract with the Reds and the ARU.
The 26-year-old received an offer to play for Japanese club Kubota for a reported $1 million per season, but managed to resist the temptation much to the relief of Reds coach Ewan McKenzie and Wallabies boss Robbie Deans.
Ioane broke the news on Twitter after Australia’s victory over Wales at the Millenium Stadium in the last Test match of the year
“4 got 2 tell u my friends! Gonna stay in australia for the next 3 years!!! God is good an we r #reds,” he posted.
The fleet-footed gas-man has won many admirers for both his explosive style of play and impressive breakdancing moves that often underline a particularly spectacular try-scoring effort.
McKenzie had always been confident that Ioane would stay in Brisbane, despite ongoing rumours that he would be joining former Wallabies teammate Hugh McMeniman in Japan but he did admit that it was a relief to have the drama over and done with.
“Obviously we’re quite pleased it’s finally over,” McKenzie told AAP. “That ices the cake for us. We’ve retained 25 of the 30 [contracted players] from last year, which is a great position to be in after winning the title and it gives us a good capacity [for success again].”
“We’ve been quietly confident Digby would remain in Queensland. He’s one of our most popular figures and he has the ability to change games with his enigmatic style of play,” McKenzie said.
“Digby is a guy who gets a lot of touches every game. He always has the ball in his hands and he has a ridiculous number of game involvements. He gives us a real point of difference.”
