Bordeaux has announced that Sekope Kepu is returning to Australia for the long-term, after agreeing to a release.
Kepu was signed with Bordeaux until 2018 but the French side announced his release, for family reasons, on their website on Friday morning (AEST).
The Wallabies prop was set to join the Test camp this week, eligible under the 60 cap rule.
Kepu has missed recent Bordeaux matches with a shoulder injury but Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said he was confident he would be fit to be considered for the first a Test on June 11.
"He’s not been playing for Bordeaux, he's been out for the last few weeks," he said.
"I think shoulder (kept him out) but we’ve been across that. It Iooks okay but of course, we’ll have to check it out."
While Eddie Jones said on Thursday that Kepu's French stint could be a double-edged sword for his scrummaging, Cheika said it would add versatility to the squad.
"I’d say at the start it was a bit difficult for him, a total change in technique," he said.
"What I like is he got the handle on it, he got the hang of it pretty quickly.
"That adaptation of that style is something Sekope hasn’t maybe had before.
"He’s learned to do that because he's a more mature person and a more mature player and understands what he needs to do to do well.
"It's going to be an adjustment being out of this type of shape for a year so we’ll see how he gets here and how he run into the team when he arrives."
The Wallabies veteran was playing alongside Wallabies teammate Adam Ashley-Cooper in France.
His future in Australia is yet to be confirmed.
