Kane Douglas could be back in the green and gold for the World Cup, after committing to Australian rugby.
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As soon as he was released from Irish club Leinster, it seemed only a matter of time before the backrower would be a Queensland Red, and the club and Australian Rugby Union confirmed his signing on Friday.
Douglas has been signed to a three-year deal with the Reds and the ARU, with the 14-cap Wallaby needing to be locked to a local franchise to be eligible for the Wallabies.
The 26-year-old former Super Rugby-winning Waratahs lock opted for the Reds to be closer to his family and will be a handy replacement for departing James Horwill, who is headed to the London Harlequins after the World Cup.
Douglas's signing spices up the World Cup selection, with pressure on Dean Mumm and Will Skelton to perform in next week's Bledisloe Test, though the 199kg, 202cm man mountain could yet be included in the Wallabies squad for the August 8 Rugby Championship decider.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika had hinted at his keenness to lock Douglas in for the Wallabies in recent weeks, after news broke that Douglas wanted to come home.
"It's great to see Kane back playing his rugby in Australia for the long term," Cheika said.
"His return will bolster our tight five stocks and that is a strong objective of ours over the next 18 months.
"Kane will join a very competitive race to the wear the number four and five jerseys within the Wallabies, with (Rob) Simmons, Skelton, Horwill, (Rory) Arnold, (Sam) Carter and Mumm all in the mix.
"We will see how Kane is progressing physically over the next week, before considering him for any game time."
The Reds forward pack was a rare bright spot for the side this year and Douglas said he was looking forward to joining the side.
"It's going to be a new challenge for me, but I'm looking forward to it," Douglas said.
"I know a heap of the Reds guys from playing with them at the Wallabies.
"The forward pack has been going really well and I've heard good things about what they're building, so I'm looking forward to contributing to it."
Douglas played 20 games for Leinster this season, but the back end of his season was curtailed by a back injury.
He has 75 Super Rugby caps for the Waratahs after his 2010 debut and played his first Wallabies Test in 2012 against Argentina.
