Matt Toomua will return to Australia in a bid to gain selection for the Wallabies for this summer’s Rugby Championship before returning to Leicester Tigers for the remainder of the club’s 2018/19 campaign.

Toomua has agreed terms with Rugby Australia and the Melbourne Rebels making him eligible to play in the 2018 Rugby Championship and next year’s Rugby World Cup.

He will return to Tigers during the Rugby Championship rest periods, which coincide with rounds 1 and 4 of the Gallagher Premiership.

And, after the conclusion of the Rugby Championship, he will be available for the remainder of the Tigers 2018/19 campaign before returning to Australia at the end of the season.

Toomua, who has made 23 appearances for Tigers since joining in 2016, said the decision was made with a “heavy heart” and that he is fully committed to ending his time at Tigers on a high.

“It has been a tough couple of weeks and one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my career,” Toomua said.