Christian Lealiifano extends stay at Brumbies

Brumbies have confirmed that Australia international Christian Lealiifano has extended his stay with the Super Rugby club after signing a new one-year deal.

The 30-year-old started his career with Australia Sevens and Canberra Vikings in Australian Rugby Championship before making his Super Rugby debut for Brumbies in 2007 and has featured in 133 games amassing 845 points.

“I am really excited to have another year with the Brumbies,” said Lealiifano.

“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, who also had stints with Suntory Sungoliath and Ulster has played 19 Tests for Australia with his last appearance coming in 2016.