Matt To'omua says the opportunity to explore overseas options in coming years in the recent pay deal is a "just in case" proposition for the Rebels and Wallabies playmaker.
The Rugby Union Players Association and Rugby Australia this week agreed on an interim pay deal that will see Australia's 192 professional players take an average of a 60 per cent pay cut until September 30.
Australia's highest earners took the biggest pay cuts and along with that, a select group will be granted the option of exploring overseas stints in a bid to try and recoup some of their lost salary.
To'omua, who is the Rebels' RUPA delegate, had a big involvement in the discussions and said the move was a "goodwill gesture" for those players.
"In a sense, people in the top end took a much larger cut than other people. Basically we were trying to get to a figure, not a percentage but a figure, whether it be 1 million dollars or 100 million dollars," he said.
"People at the top basically said it's on us to keep the game sustainable and decided to take a much larger cut and I think that was well and truly fair.
"However, in the interests of keeping our top players in Australia we felt that there should be an opportunity for players to recuperate some of those funds and still be eligible for Wallabies selection.
"There's actually quite a few tight restrictions around how many can go per year, per club, all that kind of stuff but I think it's half a dozen people max that it applies to.
"I know it's attracted a few headlines but it's very much, it's kind of a goodwill gesture in the sense that these guys gave up considerable sums of money and a lot of us are now in the latter part of our career so it's just a way to recuperate a bit of those funds but still serve Australian rugby."
To'omua is one of those players who could explore an option before the 2023 Rugby World Cup but said his desire to take that up would depend on how the environment looks in the coming months.
"I'll only speak on my behalf here but if my contract goes up full value after that then I would, my temptation, I'd very much be looking to stay in Australian rugby," he said.
"However, we just don't know.
"A bit of it comes with the uncertainty of what happens post these six months.
"If in six months' time we're negotiating another pay cut down to 20 or 30 per cent or something like that, that overseas option becomes even more attractive, particularly for someone like myself who's in their 30s.
"If we go back up and rugby's up and running and we're back up into full pay, then it's probably something that would, we'd probably say, "Hey look, we're safeguarded against but it's not something that's necessary" so I think it's something that we'll assess in six months' time.
"Because there's so much, because the future is so unsure at the moment I think it's something that's worthwhile having up your sleeve in case."
To'omua said while it was "frustrating" to have the season suspended and little chance of rugby being played in the coming months but it wasn't difficult to find perspective on that.
"It's a little frustrating - if I needed any perspective, just watching television and seeing the lines outside of Centrelink that really got me thinking we're very, very lucky in that sense," he said.
"So, I think it's all a matter of perspective.
"Whilst I was very much part of the RUPA negotiations and everything that that entailed, a lot of people don't have strong unions depending on what industry they're in and we're very fortunate that the people before us set up really strong unions that protected us players and to see those lines outside of Centrelink makes you realise that we are very fortunate.
"Whilst I'd love to get back and play rugby for the sake of my own enjoyment, part of me would like to get back on the field and provide some entertainment for some people who are doing it tough as well.
"There's a few ways to think about it."
