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Melbourne - The Rebels and the ARU have secured the signature of utility-back Reece Hodge until the end of 2020.
Hodge filled roles across the park for the Rebels during
Super Rugby, scoring 20 points on debut for Melbourne, on his way to the Super
Rugby Rookie of the Year award.
An injury to Mike Harris in the Rebels’ final game before
the June series opened up the door for the rookie to join the wider Test squad.
He made his Wallabies debut in the second Bledisloe match in
Wellington, with a 55-m penalty goal the highlight of his cameo.
Hodge was on track for a Spring Tour try grand slam, scoring in the opening two matches of the Wallabies’ five-Test campaign, and said his maiden Test season felt like the start of the 2019 World Cup story.
"Being a part of the 2016 Wallabies squad with so many new faces felt like the start of our journey towards 2019 and it’s something that I really want to be a part of going forward," Hodge told rugby.com.au.
"I know it will take a lot of hard work and consistent
form to get there but just to have the opportunity to be playing rugby in
Australia and striving towards that goal of playing for the Wallabies at the
2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan is awesome."
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said Hodge's should be a model for other emerging players to follow.
"Reece took his opportunity in 2016, showing he’s got
what it takes firstly in Super Rugby then at the Test level. There’s plenty of
great young talent in Australia and Reece is a great example of what can happen
when you take your chance," he said.
"It’s great to see young lads committing to long-term deals and I know Reece is very excited about the years ahead for both Melbourne and the Wallabies."
