It's understood Tomane's offer was too good to refuse, worth almost double what he could earn if he stayed in Australia, while Toomua signed a lucrative contract with Leicester after 10 seasons in Canberra. Asked what attracts Australia's talent to Europe, Toomua was frank. "The money, it's there," he said. "Then there's the lifestyle and opportunity that is something different. Give anyone in their work a chance to earn good money in a new part of the world, most people would take it. "I get to play at a big club in England and that's exciting. To be fair, you see a lot of guys coming back after not long and it's not quite what they thought it would be. "Playing for Australia is an amazing opportunity and there's a lot here as well, so I think we'll remain competitive. The cycle will never end, it's tough. But it's the global marketplace."

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is juggling his salary cap and preparing for the departure of some key players when the Super Rugby campaign ends this year. The Brumbies play the Auckland Blues on Friday night and need to win their last two games to make the play-offs. At season's end, Toomua, Tomane, Stephen Moore (Queensland Reds) and David Pocock (12-month sabbatical) will farewell the team. The perception is that European clubs raid Australia's ranks. But Toomua and Tomane are the only Brumbies going to Europe next year, and a host of players have returned to Super Rugby's ranks to revive their Wallabies hopes, including Kane Douglas, Sekope Kepu, Dean Mumm, Leroy Houston and Taqele Naiyaravoro​. "The last three years we've had 11 players leave every season. Guys get offered good money overseas, but that's the beauty of rugby, it's an international game," Larkham said.

"We pride ourselves on getting guys to the next level whether that's for the Wallabies or big contracts overseas. It's hard to see them go when you've developed them and you can't afford to keep them together. "But I'm really happy for these guys, it's part of the Brumbies culture. They've been part of the Canberra community, and then they get the next chance." The ARU has introduced a new Wallabies policy to allow players to be eligible for Test selection even if they sign overseas contracts. In the past, Europe and Japan were retirement havens for players nearing the end of their careers and looking to maximise their earnings in their twilight years. But overseas clubs have turned their attention to younger talent, poaching Toomua after 32 Tests and Tomane after 17 Wallabies games.

"But I think we are starting to compete and we've found a way ... we need to find that money for those stand-out players and we have done that over the past 12 to 24 months," Larkham said. "It's up to them if they want to commit to playing for Australia or give that dream up. We've always had those conversations, and [the Brumbies] are at that stage now where we've got some senior players and have built up their reputations. "This year we're losing a couple of superstars. But our squad is looking really good for next year." SUPER RUGBY ROUND 16 Friday: Auckland Blues v ACT Brumbies at Eden Park, 5.30pm AEST. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.

Brumbies team: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Nigel Ah Wong, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Toomua, 11. James Dargaville, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 8 Michael Wells, 7. Jarrad Butler, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Allan Alaalatoa, 18. Ruan Smith, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Tom Staniforth, 21. Joe Powell, 22. Andrew Smith, 23. Lausii Taliauli.