Mammoth lock Will Skelton is officially staying in London until at least 2021 after signing a new two-year deal with Saracens.
The 26-year-old has been with the English side full-time for two seasons and it had been reported in March that he was on the verge of re-signing with the side but no official announcement had been made.
As the months ticked on, speculation emerged that he was contemplating a return to Australia, and the Wallabies for the World Cup.
To be eligible for Test rugby under the "Giteau Law", Skelton would have needed to sign with an Australian Super Rugby side for next season.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika kept the door open for his former charge to push for a World Cup spot as recently as last week, saying he had been in touch with Skelton about the possibility.
When Friday's Wallabies squad announcement came and went without Skelton's name, his commitment to Saracens appeared imminent.
The Premiership heavyweights confirmed his re-signing in an announcement on Monday night (AEST).
“My wife is happy here, we’re both happy,” Skelton said on the Saracens website.
“She’s playing rugby as well and enjoying it. She’ll take it a little bit more seriously next year and having two years is a bit more security for us as a family and we can focus on other things aside from rugby.”
“I’m very stoked about it. It’s an opportunity to get better and it’s a blessing to do something you enjoy/
“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.”
