Brisbane Broncos outside back Israel Leota has confirmed a code switch to rugby union.
The outside back has signed on with the Moana Pasifika team in the Super Rugby Pacific competition, with a two-year deal locked in for 2026 and 2027.
Rated as one of the most promising young talents in the NRL, he has been unable to break through to the top level in his time with the Red Hill-based outfit, despite formerly playing for the junior Queensland team in 2023 and 2024.
His time likely would have come in the years ahead, although Brisbane have plenty of competition for spots in their back five.
Instead, he moves back to rugby union where he played as a junior, with Leota revealing the environment of the Pasifika team in the Super Rugby competition was behind his drive to make the switch.
“I’ve been watching from afar and I can see the environment that the team has created. It looks infectious. It looks like it’s a great place to be around,” Leota said.
“It is also a really good opportunity for me to come over and have a crack at the game that I grew up in and have loved for a long time.”
The island-based team is based in New Zealand and made up of players from various nations of Pasifika heritage, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
While they play most of their games in New Zealand, they have also hosted games in Samoa and Tonga over the years of their tenure in the competition.