Former Wallabies lock Will Skelton has described his decision to commit to the English Premiership rather than return to Australia as a “no-brainer”.
Skelton revealed he signed a fresh two-year deal with London club Saracens, continuing an association that began in 2016, the year of his 18th and most recent Test.
The 27-year-old powerhouse forward had been in discussions as recently as a week ago with Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who tried to sell the merits of a return to Australia and potential selection in his just-named World Cup squad.
The talks failed to convince Skelton, who will stay in England until at least 2021, making him ineligible for the Wallabies.
“I’m very stoked about it. It’s an opportunity to get better and it’s a blessing to do something you enjoy,” he told the Saracens website.
“I enjoy being in the boys’ company, the coaches are great and coming into working and enjoying your job is the main reason why we stayed.
“Having the opportunity to stay here was almost a no-brainer for me. Having this culture of working hard and having great people around me made it an easy decision.”