ACT Brumbies could enter the race for Samu Kerevi as Tom Banks is tabled rich Japanese offer

The Brumbies are bracing to lose Tom Banks to a $2.8 million deal in Japan as Rugby Australia exhausts every option to keep the Wallabies fullback on home soil ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

But Kerevi could go the other way when his contract with Suntory expires at the end of the season. Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson says the club would "certainly have a look at him" with inside centre Irae Simone bound for France.

But whether Rugby Australia and the Brumbies - or any Super Rugby club for that matter - can scrape together a figure of about $1 million per season Kerevi is likely to command is another question. Clubs are operating within a $5.5 million salary cap.

"There'll obviously be interest from the Reds but from other teams within Australia. We'll certainly have a look at any player that's coming onto the market to see if they're what we're after at that time," Thomson said.

MORE SPORT

The Brumbies are moving to lock in key pieces of their roster with Lachlan and Ryan Lonergan set to stay on long-term deals in a major coup for the club.

Lachlan Lonergan is already capped at Test level while his older brother has emerged as a contender for a place in Dave Rennie's squad for July's Test series against England.

Luke Reimer and Ed Kennedy are set to extend their stay in Canberra beyond 2022 while the club is deep in talks with emerging lock Tom Hooper about a new deal.

Highly-touted Brumbies lock Nick Frost could yet renege on a deal to head to Japan and stay in Australian rugby to chase the lure of a Test cap.

Banks' potential exit compounds the likely departure of Folau Fainga'a, who has been linked to the Western Force with the Brumbies prepared for domestic and international rivals to raid their ranks.

Thomson says the reality is Australian clubs will struggle to compete with cashed-up overseas rivals, with Banks likely to earn almost $1 million extra per year in Japan than he would staying in Canberra.

"It's very hard to match or fight or compete. There's certainly talk of some very big numbers, whether it be in Japan or over in Europe," Thomson said.

"It makes it very hard for us to fight to keep the players on a financial basis. We've got other things that would hopefully hold them here, to play for the Wallabies with a World Cup coming up, but you can certainly understand people being lured by the yen or the Euro.

"We are working with Rugby Australia at the moment. [Banks] has got a very attractive and lucrative offer from Japan, we've just got to see how we go in discussions throughout the course of the week."

Incoming Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has spoken to Banks about his future. Rugby Australia and the Brumbies have tabled a counter-offer for Banks to take a sabbatical season in Japan, giving him the chance to earn money overseas while not being completely lost to his home country.

"It's something we will certainly consider on a case-by-case basis," Thomson said.

"You have to use a bit of imagination around your contracting to make the offer enticing enough to consider it when they're getting offered large amounts of money."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: