Wallabies sign league international Crichton for 2027
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Rugby League - World Cup - Semi Final - Australia v New Zealand - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - November 11, 2022 New Zealand's Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Briton Nikora and Moses Leota in action with Australia's Angus Crichton. Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
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SYDNEY, Jan 21 - Rugby league international forward Angus Crichton will switch to rugby union next year in a bid to make the Wallabies team for the 2027 World Cup on home soil, Rugby Australia announced on Wednesday.
A mobile but powerful edge forward, Crichton has been a key player for the Sydney Roosters, New South Wales Blues and Kangaroos for the last few years.
The 29-year-old is likely to be positioned in the back row or at inside centre in the 15-man game, which he played at international level as a schoolboy.
"It's incredibly exciting to be returning to the sport I played throughout my childhood," Crichton said in a news release.
"I grew up with a Wallabies jersey and poster on the wall and my dream was to one day represent them. I'm in a position in 2027 to pursue that dream ..."
Crichton will make the move to union next year in the company of Roosters clubmate Mark Nawaqanitawase, a former Wallabies winger who was a standout in the National Rugby League with 24 tries in his first full season last year.
Another former Rooster, centre Joseph Suaali'i, moved to union just over a year ago, while Wallabies outside back Andrew Kellaway was Crichton's teammate at Sydney's powerhouse rugby school The Scots College.
Crichton is a relative rarity as a forward leaving the NRL for rugby union with most of the previous high-profile recruits having been backs.
Sonny Bill Williams, also an edge forward in the NRL, won two World Cups in the centres with the All Blacks, but Sam Burgess failed to make a huge impact for England after switching for the 2015 World Cup.
"He's the ultimate professional who will bring a high level of physicality and edge to the group," said Dan McKellar, who will coach Crichton in Super Rugby at the New South Wales Waratahs.
"With his rugby union background, I'm sure he'll be able to adapt quickly and will be raring to go when he arrives." REUTERS
