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Sydney - Wallaby and three-time Super Rugby champion forward Radike Samo will leave Japan to join the Melbourne Rebels for this Super 15 season, the club said on Friday.
Fijian-born Samo, 38, who was last at the Kinetsu Liners in the Japanese Top League, has made 23 appearances for the Wallabies and was part of the squad which finished third at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Samo said he was excited to join Tony McGahan's Rebels and have "one final crack at Super Rugby."
"Watching from Japan, it is clear that the Rebels are working really hard to build a competitive and professional rugby team," he said.
"I am very keen to give Super Rugby one last shot and I feel I have a lot to offer."
McGahan said Samo's experience and playing ability would be beneficial for the Rebels in 2015.
"Radike has been a strong contributor to every environment he has been within, with a majority of those environments being winning squads," McGahan said.
Predominantly utilised in the back row but also capable of playing as a lock, Samo will look to add to the 64 Super Rugby appearances he has made with the Brumbies (2001-2006) and Reds (2010-2013).
During that time, Samo won the Super Rugby competition twice with the Brumbies in 2001 and 2004, and won at the Queensland Reds in 2011.
