SYDNEY (Reuters) - Winger Henry Speight has committed to Australian rugby until after next year's World Cup in Japan with a one-year contract extension.
The 30-year-old, who played at the 2015 World Cup in England, also extended his contract with his Super Rugby side the ACT Brumbies, Rugby Australia (RA) said on Monday.
"The World Cup is a big target of mine," Speight said in a statement on Monday. "I really enjoyed the experience in 2015 but I want to go one step further next year so hopefully I'm part of that."
The Fijian-born Speight, who was educated in New Zealand, has won 19 caps for the Wallabies since his debut in 2014 after he fulfilled the residency requirements.
"Henry has shown how much he wants to represent the Brumbies and the Wallabies by knocking back big money offers from Europe to stay and play his rugby in Australia," Cheika said.
"I'm sure he's going to have a huge impact on our game over the next 18 months leading into the World Cup."
The Brumbies, the Australian conference champions the last two seasons, have struggled in Super Rugby this year with losses to the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels.
They face the New South Wales Waratahs in Canberra on Saturday.
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)
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