Matt Giteau is to rejoin the ACT Brumbies from the Western Force at the end of the current Super 14 season.
Australia fly-half to rejoin Brumbies
Matt Giteau is to rejoin the ACT Brumbies from the Western Force at the end of the current Super 14 season.
Australia's first-choice fly-half said the Force offered him a two-year extension to his existing three-year contract.
However, the 26-year-old wants to return to the city where he was raised and began his rugby career.
"I was very fortunate to have two fantastic offers to consider. In the end, it came down to a simple desire to return to Canberra," Giteau said.
Giteau left the Brumbies after the 2006 Super 14 season to join the Force in a deal reported to be worth A$4.5 million (US$2.91 million).
But speculation about his future in Perth intensified after a third-party sponsor collapsed last year, a situation which reportedly left Giteau A$1 million out of pocket.
His new deal will commit him to the Brumbies for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
It also comes after he pledged his future to the Australian Rugby Union through to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
"Matt left the Brumbies on good terms and we wished him all the best but we made no secret about our desire to see him back," ACT Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said.
"Matt Giteau is a rugby superstar and one of the highest profile sportspeople in this country. His return is a huge vote of confidence."
