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Melbourne - The Melbourne Rebels have signed utility back Ben Volavola ahead of the 2017 Super Rugby season.
The Australian-born Fijian representative joined the Rebels on Friday after 15 Super Rugby games and 21 points with Australian rivals the Waratahs and New Zealand franchise the Crusaders.
The 25-year-old playmaker kicked off his Super Rugby career with the Waratahs in 2013 before he crossed the Tasman to join the Crusaders in 2016 to help fill the void at number 10 with the departure of Dan Carter to Europe.
Volavola, a former Australian U20s representative at the 2011 Junior World Championship, has made 14 international appearances and scored 56 points for Fiji since his Test debut against the Maori All Blacks in 2015.
Volavola started all four games at flyhalf at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which included his maiden international try against the Wallabies during the round-robin phase of the tournament.
Volavola said he was excited by the chance to join the Rebels.
"I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue my career in Melbourne," Volavola said.
"I’m excited by the chance to grow my game at a club that has a great record for nurturing and developing elite players under head coach Tony McGahan and I look forward to learning from Morgan Turinui."
Baden Stephenson, the Rebels' general manager of rugby operations, commented: "Ben brings a wealth of experience from two successful Super Rugby programmes and will provide value to the Melbourne Rebels in his versatility across the backline.
"He was hungry for another opportunity at this level so we feel that Ben’s talent and drive will be a good fit for the Rebels."
