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Another Australian halfback commits to Top League

Matt Lucas scores during the Brumbies' Super Rugby quarter-final with the Sharks in Canberra. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

The Brumbies have agreed to allow scrumhalf Matt Lucas to be released early from his contract to take up an offer with Japanese Top League side the Ricoh Black Rams from September.

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Lucas, who signed for the Brumbies at the beginning of the 2018 campaign from the Waratahs, will undertake a new challenge in Asia.

“I have really enjoyed my time at the Brumbies and will treasure the memories that I have made with the club,” Lucas said of his departure.

“The Brumbies environment and culture is one that I have treasured. The way in which the Brumbies wider community have embraced me has been very special and playing at GIO Stadium in front of some extremely loyal fans over the last two years is something that I won’t forget.

“This was a terrific opportunity for me, and I am thankful to the Brumbies for agreeing to release me early from my contract to head to Japan. It’s an exciting time for me and I am looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Lucas, who played 28 times for the Brumbies in a 61-cap Super Rugby career, is no stranger to Japanese club rugby having enjoyed a hugely successful stint inside Wallaby and Brumbies legend Matt Giteau at Suntory Sungoliath last season.

“Whilst we are sorry to see Matt leave, we understand this is a really good opportunity for him at this stage of his career,” Plus500 Brumbies Head Coach Dan McKellar commented.

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“Matt has been a very important player in our group for the last two seasons. He is a competitor, drives standards and he has played a role in helping to develop our younger players.

“We wish Matty all the best for the future.”

– Brumbies Rugby

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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