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Tokyo - England's Ben Te'o will join Japanese side Sunwolves for their farewell Super Rugby campaign, the team's management said Tuesday.
The Auckland-born centre, who was dropped from Eddie Jones' England squad for the World Cup in Japan, will play with Tonga's Onehunga Kaufusi, Australia's Jake Schatz and Georgian hooker Jaba Bregvadze, the Sunwolves said.
The 32-year-old had been a favourite of the Australian's during his time as England boss but was excluded from the final week of a training camp in Italy due to a reported altercation with full-back Mike Brown.
Following his breakaway, the former Worcester midfielder signed a short-term deal with French club Toulon in August.
The Sunwolves' new boss Naoya Okubo named 15 players, including Te'o, on Tuesday, adding that he plans to expand the squad to up to 45 before the team's opening game against the Melbourne Rebels of Australia on February 1 in Fukuoka.
"I want to welcome those who have a hungry spirit and are dissatisfied with the status quo," Okubo said, adding that Super Rugby is a stage "on which people with aspirations should stand."
The Sunwolves will be axed from Super Rugby after the upcoming season, the governing body said in March.
The club were introduced in 2016 to bring rugby to new markets, but South African, New Zealand, Australian Rugby (SANZAAR) said it wasn't prepared to bankroll the perennial wooden-spooners after Japan's rugby board withdrew financial support.
