Lealiifano Staying in Canberra

The Brumbies have announced that star playmaker Christian Lealiifano has committed to the club for the 2019 Super Rugby season by signing a new one-year deal.

 
Lealiifano has played 133 games for the Brumbies and is second on the all-time points scoring list with a mammoth total of 845 points, signed the deal prior to heading to Japan for a stint with Toyota Shokki in the Japanese Top League.

 
“I am really excited to have another year with the Brumbies” Lealiifano commented when the agreement was announced.  
 
“The biggest factor was the excitement I felt about the future of the club. I love the fact that there is young talent coming through and being able to lead the side was special for me, hopefully I can still add something to the future of the club.
 
“It’s always an honour to able to lead the Brumbies. There’s been some fantastic leaders here in the past and for me, that role has always been about mentoring guys and making sure that, like when I was a kid coming through, that there’s someone to help and to make it easier for them to cope with the step up to Super Rugby.
 
“A super Rugby title is something which always drives you and motivates you each day and it’s something I’ve been chasing for a while now and that I got close to in 2013. That’s the end goal but it’s also about making sure the Brumbies is in a better place for the future as well.”

 
Lealiifano made his Super Rugby debut for the club back in 2008 against the Crusaders in Christchurch and has also been capped nineteen times by the Wallabies, making his test bow in the rarefied atmosphere of a British & Irish Lions Tour in 2013.
 
Since then he has pulled the strings from flyhalf for his club and become a firm crowd favourite with the Brumbies and Australian faithful, recovering from a serious illness to reclaim his place in the Brumbies starting XV.
 

“Christian brings leadership and experience to the team,” Plus500 Brumbies Head Coach Dan McKellar commented. “His performances have really developed and improved over the course of the season. He’s a vital part of the team and it’s nice to have him signed for another season.”
 
“He has got a great understanding of how we want to play the game and where our game is headed, particularly how we are developing our attacking game. It’s always nice to have that stability, and we have that in Christian wearing that number ten jersey again next season.”