{"id":812638,"date":"2026-07-20T17:18:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/812638\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T17:18:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T17:18:18","slug":"rugby-transfers-wallaby-returns-home-in-world-cup-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/812638\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby Transfers: Wallaby returns home in World Cup bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Wallabies ace will return to Australia<\/a> following the end of his time in Europe, and Newcastle Red Bulls have released a Test man from his impending switch to England.<\/p>\n

Here are all the latest rugby rumours, transfers<\/a> and contract renewals.<\/p>\n

Wallabies man returns home following PREM exit<\/p>\n

Australian<\/a> centre Izaia Perese will return down under next season, signing a deal with Rugby Australia (RA) and the Queensland Reds through to 2028.<\/p>\n

His switch back comes following his exit from PREM Rugby outfit Leicester Tigers, and follows the likes of Len Ikitau and James Ramm from the English top flight to Australia next season.<\/p>\n

Perese\u2019s return to the Reds, where he made 19 appearances between 2017 and 2018 before a brief stint in the NRL, also comes with a view to making it into the Wallabies squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. He won the last of his six Test caps in the 2023 World Cup, starting in their win over Portugal.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s hot and who\u2019s not: \u2018Serious acceleration\u2019 whets All Blacks\u2019 Greatest Rivalry appetite, but \u2018ugly\u2019 Argentina and TMO \u2018fastidiousness\u2019 not a good look<\/a><\/p>\n

Commenting on his move, Perese said: \u201cI thought my journey was overseas and that was going to be me for the rest of my career. In Australia, in Queensland, is where I want to be, and excited is an understatement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time for rugby in Australia as a whole. The Rugby World Cup next year is obviously a goal, but what comes first is playing good rugby here at the Reds.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying for your country is the pinnacle. All I can do to get back there is solely going to come from doing my job to the best of my ability for Queensland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n

RA director of high performance, Peter Horne, added: \u201cWe are pleased to welcome Izaia back to Australian Rugby at a pivotal time for the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a powerful athlete who is experienced and motivated to contribute to Queensland and the wider Australian system.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis signing reflects our focus on strengthening our depth and ensuring our best athletes are playing their rugby here in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also commenting, Reds general manager of high performance, Sam Cordingley, said: \u201cIt\u2019s great to welcome Izzy back to the Reds.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe brings a wealth of experience from his time in the French Top 14 and English Premiership, so he\u2019ll be a great addition to our squad over the next few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newcastle Red Bulls release Fijian recruit<\/p>\n

PREM outfit Newcastle Red Bulls have released Fijian<\/a> international Joji Nasova from his contract next season, citing personal reasons.<\/p>\n

Five reasons the Nations Championship won rugby\u2019s heart and the flaws it must fix<\/a><\/p>\n

The Olympic silver medalist had agreed terms with the North East outfit to join them for the upcoming campaign, but will now remain with Super Rugby Pacific side Fijian Drua instead.<\/p>\n

Commenting, Newcastle general manager of rugby, Neil McIlroy, said: \u201cWhile we were very much looking forward to welcoming Joji to Newcastle Red Bulls, we fully understand and respect the unique personal circumstances that have led to this decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cContractual certainty is vital for clubs, players and the wider game. But at the same time, rugby is built on people, families and communities, and we believe our responsibility as an employer extends beyond the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish Joji, his family and the Fijian Drua every success for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Nations Championship Team of the Month: Five Springboks, Japanese bolter and record-breaking All Black included<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Wallabies ace will return to Australia following the end of his time in Europe, and Newcastle Red…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":812639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,1379,3739,217781,818,10668,44,20248,12061,760,85,29898,2356],"class_list":["post-812638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-features","tag-fiji","tag-fijian-drua","tag-home-page","tag-newcastle","tag-news","tag-premiership","tag-queensland-reds","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-super-rugby","tag-transfers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/812639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}