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Brisbane Broncos<\/a> outside back Israel Leota<\/a> has confirmed a code switch to rugby union.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Rated as one of the most promising young talents in the NRL<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n His time likely would have come in the years ahead, although Brisbane have plenty of competition for spots in their back five.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI’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,\u201d Leota said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The island-based team is based in New Zealand<\/a> and made up of players from various nations of Pasifika heritage, including Fiji<\/a>, Samoa<\/a>, Tonga<\/a> and the Cook Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n While they play most of their games in New Zealand<\/a>, they have also hosted games in Samoa<\/a> and Tonga<\/a> over the years of their tenure in the competition.<\/p>\n
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