ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight undecided on Wallabies and Super Rugby future

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This was published 6 years ago

ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight undecided on Wallabies and Super Rugby future

By Eamonn Tiernan
Updated

ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight has confirmed he is in talks with a European club and admits he has a "very tough decision" to make on his future in the capital.

Speight is off contract at the end of the season and French Top 14 club Bordeaux Begles is believed to be trying to lure the Wallabies winger away from Super Rugby.

ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight at training on Tuesday.

ACT Brumbies winger Henry Speight at training on Tuesday. Credit: Jamila Toderas

The Fijian flyer would not only be leaving the Brumbies after eight seasons, but a move overseas would rule him ineligible for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

There has been speculation Speight is being targeted by Bordeaux for the 2018-19 season and the 29-year-old acknowledged he spent time talking to a club in France after the Wallabies end of year tour of Europe.

"It's always a massive [opportunity] to go over and experience something different in France or the UK and have everywhere in Europe within travelling distance," Speight said.

"There is a lot of pluses to that but there are a lot of things to weigh up before making a decision. Canberra is home for me and the priority for me is to stay.

"It's something I'm trying to sort out as soon as I can and hopefully that's cleared up before the season starts so there are no interruptions in prepping for the 2018 season."

Speight played eight Tests for the Wallabies last year, six of those in the starting XV. He also scored seven tries for the Brumbies - his highest tally since 2013 - and was the club's most dangerous attacking weapon.

But he faces massive competition for a Wallabies wing spot after the rise of NRL convert Marika Koroibete, Reece Hodge and Dane Haylett-Petty.

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"It's still the ultimate goal as for everyone plying their trade in Australia, the Wallabies jersey is still a very strong goal for me personally and to go to a second World Cup would be amazing.

"The World Cup is the secondary reason though, the primary reason is I love being part of the Brumbies and I love being in Canberra and living here.

"Leaving would be a very tough decision and something that is weighing a lot on my mind and hopefully we can sort something out in the coming days or weeks."

Coach Dan McKellar will take the reins for the first time this season and said he's very keen to hold on to Speight, but understands the financial incentive.

"We want to keep Henry, he's been at the club a long time, he's highly respected from a rugby point of view and from the work he does throughout the community," McKellar said.

"The clubs overseas there's always going to be that financial element but Henry knows we want to keep him and how important he is to this team and at the end of the day it comes down to his individual decision.

"Obviously you communicate with the player and we're keen for him to stay around and contribute because he still has a lot to offer.

"Whether a player chooses to leave at 24/25 or 30/31 - it's the player's choice. All we can do is offer a program where they know they are getting better every day and improving as a footballer."

Christian Lealiifano is also off-contract at the end of this year, but he will likely delay a decision on his next move until he finds his feet in Super Rugby following his recovery from leukemia.

Lealiifano and David Pocock will return to the capital next week as the final two pieces of the Brumbies 2018 squad, which Speight believes has the potential to break a 14-year title drought.

"I'm always confident leading into the season but more often than not we're written off before the season even gets underway," Speight said.

"To have those guys back and the youth in the team getting more experience... it's a good mix of old and new and there's a lot of excitement within the group and I think we can build to do something really special this year."

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