One of the most highly-rated schoolboy prospects of the past five years is back in rugby after the Brumbies secured the signature of young playmaker Tom Wright.
Wright has spent the last three years with Manly Sea Eagles after he was signed by the NRL club straight out of school in 2015.
The speedy playmaker was a star schoolboy at St Josephs College in Sydney, and was pursued heavily by teams in both codes and the Australian sevens program, who offered a contract to Wright and saw him as a potential bolter for the 2016 Olympics.
The youngster took up an offer from the Sea Eagles and after playing under 20s, Wright also debuted in the NRL side and made five appearances in the top grade.
But the Brumbies have swooped to secure Wright back in rugby as a ball-playing 10/12 for the next two years.
The 21-year-old will partner up with Christian Lealiifano and adds nicely to the depth of a problem position in Australian rugby.
“Tom has genuine X factor in attack with ability to create something out of nothing," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said.
"He also possesses very good skill. We have said for some time now that to play our style of rugby we need to recruit players with good skill and Tom has that."
Brumbies boss Michael Thomson said Wright's talent could help the turnstiles spin in Canberra.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Tom to the Plus500 Brumbies,” CEO Michael Thomson commented.
“Tom is a very exciting prospect and is exactly the kind of young, enthusiastic talent, that thrives in the Brumbies environment. His pace and electrifying running are sure to get fans on the edge of their seats. We are looking forward to welcoming Tom to Canberra and the Brumbies.”
STATISTICS
Name: Tom Wright
Position: Inside Back
Date of Birth: 21/07/97
Place of Birth: Randwick, New South Wales
Height: 1.86m
Weight: 97kg
