Highly rated tighthead prop Massimo De Lutiis has turned his back on Ireland to commit his future to Australian rugby.
The 22-year-old scrum machine, who is eligible for Ireland through his mother, had attracted strong interest from Ulster and the Irish Rugby Football Union. But after weighing up his options, De Lutiis has signed on for another three years with the Reds.
“I had a lot to weigh up. I spent a good week or two going through it and it was a bit stressful,” De Lutiis said of the Ireland opportunity.
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“I definitely feel like a weight has been lifted with this decision. Now I’m locked in, I can focus on the next three years in Australia.”
The powerful prop – who stands 1.88 metres tall and weighs 126kg – has already twice been called into the Australia national rugby union team camp, although injury prevented him from featuring.
A major factor in his decision was the opportunity to chase a place at the next Rugby World Cup on home soil.
De Lutiis said he had asked himself: “Did I want to be potentially playing in front of family and friends at a home World Cup next year?
“Even if I don’t, it would be amazing to be around a tournament like that with the huge support that’s out there.”
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Rugby Australia director of high performance Peter Horne described the decision as a major win for the game in Australia.
“Massimo has been the subject of interest from overseas clubs and unions, and we are delighted he has chosen to commit to the Reds and Australian Rugby for the next three years,” he said.
– AFP
Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
The post Aussie rising star snubs Ireland appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Highly rated tighthead prop Massimo De Lutiis has turned his back on Ireland to commit his future to Australian rugby.
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