Staying: Quade Cooper. Credit:Chris Hyde

Part of that deal will include a stint with the Sevens program for the Rio Games, where Cooper will have the opportunity to fulfil a long-standing Olympic dream and potentially take on close friend Sonny Bill Williams, who has committed to the New Zealand cause.

Cooper will then settle on a Super Rugby franchise for the 2017 season and it's not beyond the realms of probability that he returns to the field with the Queensland Reds after the province abruptly put an end to negotiations last month, although he would be certain to attract interest from rival camps.

It also means he will remain in the Wallaby program for the long-term after it seemed certain the 27-year-old would join fellow Reds stalwarts James Horwill and Will Genia offshore, although there now remains some uncertainty over Genia's deal with Stade Francais.

Cooper has loved every minute of training under new Wallaby coach Michael Cheika and was never wholly committed to leaving home shores. The details of how he dealt with a release fee from Toulon that ran into the hundreds of thousands remains to be seen but the result is a good one for the ARU, with Cooper one of its most bankable faces.