Izack Rodda has signed with French club Lyon a month after his messy Super Rugby exit with the Queensland Reds.
The Wallabies lock together with Isaac Lucas and Harry Hockings had their contracts terminated at the Reds after refusing to take league-wide pay cuts stemming from the coronavirus shutdown.
Rodda had been linked to an interstate move, but after earning the ire of Rugby Australia will instead suit up for Lyon in the Top14 from September.
The trio were initially stood down by the Reds when training resumed last month after they baulked at the average 60 per cent cut their Australian Super Rugby counterparts had accepted.
The stand-off appeared to be heading to court before the trio terminated their own contracts and were subsequently released by RA.
Rodda (23), who has 25 Test caps, and Lucas (21) were both contracted until 2023 while Hockings (21) was off contract but in talks for an extension.
It is now likely all three will pursue careers overseas and be ineligible to play for the Wallabies under current rules.
RA’s director of rugby Scott Johnson, who rated all three as part of the Wallabies’ future plans, had hoped to mediate and ensure they remained in Australia.
But those aspirations were derailed when the players’ agent Anthony Picone slammed the Reds and RA’s handling of their stand down.
He took aim at the “parlous state of rugby in Australia and Queensland” and even suggested the revision of eligibility laws to ensure the Wallabies “always have as many players in the tent as possible”.