Noah Lolesio open to France return as Brumbies star weighs up his future

Lolesio's World Cup joker deal with Toulon will end this weekend following a clash with Clermont at Stade Marcel-Michelin, with the 23-year-old due back at Brumbies headquarters on November 27.

Toulon attempted to keep Lolesio for another month after Welsh international Dan Biggar suffered a back injury.

But Lolesio will return to Canberra to begin pre-season training as he enters the final year of his deal with the Brumbies before hitting the open market.

"He is obviously doing some pretty good things in France at the moment," Larkham said.

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"I saw an article there where his coach was very happy with his performances and wants him to stay over there. We might have a little battle there to try and get him back."

The Brumbies could struggle to retain the Test-capped playmaker who found himself on a Wallabies carousel during Dave Rennie's reign as Australian coach before being overlooked by Eddie Jones ahead of a disastrous World Cup campaign.

Lolesio flirted with a move to Japan before re-signing with the Brumbies, and now a taste of life in France could be enough to convince him to leave Australian shores.

The flyhalf says he will wait to see how the Super Rugby season pans out before considering staying in Canberra, returning to France or heading elsewhere - though "if the planets are aligned", Lolesio would not rule out a return to Toulon, whose first-choice No.10 Biggar is 34 years old.

"I have one year left with the Brumbies. This experience in Toulon really opened me up to the world. I didn't think I would say this before coming here, but I am now open to anything," Lolesio told Midi Olympique, with an excerpt shared by Toulon.

"We will see how my season goes with the Brumbies in Super Rugby. Then, I'll see if I stay in Canberra, if I come back to France, or even if I'll go elsewhere. But, if the planets are aligned, I would very much like to come back to France.

"It's sad that it's ending, it's hard to tell myself that I got attached in five months. Whether in a year, five years or ten years, I would like to relive an experience like the one I just had. It was an incredible life experience. I really enjoyed the time I spent here."

Rugby Australia's search for a new Wallabies coach could have an impact on Lolesio's future, as he prepares to compete with Jack Debreczini for the Brumbies' No.10 jersey.

Larkham refused to rule out the possibility of coaching Australia after Jones walked out on the Wallabies 10 months into a five-year deal, while ex-Brumbies mentor Dan McKellar - who brought Lolesio into Super Rugby - has also emerged as a leading contender for the role.

Larkham says he would love to be involved in an Australian rugby resurgence but is adamant his primary focus is on the Brumbies' bid to win a Super Rugby title after another semi-final exit this year.

The Brumbies mentor hopes Lolesio returns from Toulon a better player in a bid to realise that ambition.

"I think it's like any program that's not our program, you're picking up different experiences, you're working with different players and different coaches," Larkham said.

"We'd encourage all the guys who have gone out to NPC, to club rugby here in Canberra, to club rugby elsewhere, and the guys who have gone over to France to bring back any knowledge they have got from over there and see if we can put some of it into our program here to make us better."

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