Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs are pleased to confirm Test lock Matt Philip will return to Australian shores from July this year.
Currently plying his trade in Japan with Yokohama Canon Eagles, the Newport junior will link up with his boyhood club for the first time, having represented the Western Force and the Melbourne Rebels previously in Super Rugby Pacific.
Born and bred in Sydney, the 31-Test capped lock, started his Rugby journey as a junior on the Northern Beaches and was educated at St Augustine's College in Brookvale, before making the Australian Schoolboys in 2012 and the Australian Under-20s in 2014.
He continued his development with Sydney University in the Shute Shield, where his consistent performances were recognised with a call-up to the Northern Stars ahead of the inaugural National Rugby Championship in 2014.
From there he was drafted to the Western Force, making his Super Rugby debut against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in 2016, quickly becoming a regular in their match day squads.
In 2017 he was called into the Wallabies squad for the first time, named to make his international debut in the side's first Test of the Spring Tour against Japan in Yokohama, before going to on to play in three matches of the campaign.
The following year he moved to the Melbourne Rebels, waiting until 2020 for further game time in gold, when he was selected to start in all six Tests of a COVID-19 affected international season.
Known for his set-piece prowess and ability to get through a mountain of work around the field, Philip continued to perform well for Rebels and became a Wallabies regular in 2021, featuring in 11 of 14 Tests.
At the end of that year, Philip moved to France where he spent one season with Pau in the Top 14, before returning to Australia where he again linked up with the Rebels ahead of the 2022 Super Rugby season.
He went on to reclaim his Wallabies spot for the start of the 2022 Test season before an ACL injury cruelled his opportunity to join the squad on the Spring Tour.
He made a remarkable comeback from injury to be named in the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad, playing in two of the Wallabies four matches in France before shifting to Japan ahead of the 2024 season.
Philip's new contract sees him become the latest Wallaby to commit until at least the home Rugby World Cup in 2027.
Wallaby number 915 and NSW Waratahs recruit, Matt Philip said: "I'm stoked to be coming home. To be able to represent my state of New South Wales and play in front of my family, friends and supporters next year is something I'm really looking forward to."
"Japan has been a great opportunity to continue to develop my game and grow off the field but I'm certainly motivated to bring back my experience and contribute again to Australian Rugby.
"There are some really big events on home soil in the not too distant future that I'd love to be a part of and I'll be working hard to give myself the best opportunity to do so."
Rugby Australia's Director of High-Performance, Peter Horne said: "Matt's an experienced and proven Test player and to have him return to Australian Rugby is great for the depth across the system."
"It's encouraging to see players currently overseas recognise the opportunities on the horizon in Australian Rugby and express their desire to represent the gold jersey on home soil."
NSW Waratahs coach, Dan McKellar said: "This is good news. I coached against Matty when he was with the Force and the Rebels and I had the pleasure of working with him at Wallaby level over a couple of years.
"He is a good quality experienced lock and a Sydney boy who's incredibly passionate about the Waratahs and the sky-blue jersey and it's been a dream of his to play for NSW.
"It's really nice to see that he'll be able to play for his home state in front of his family and friends when he's back for the 2026 season."
Position: Lock
Height: 199cm
Weight: 115kg
Born: March 7, 1994
Place of birth: Sydney, NSW
Test debut: 2017 v Japan in Yokohama
Wallaby number: 915
Test caps: 31
Super Rugby debut: 2016 v Cheetahs in Bloemfontein (playing for the Western Force)
Super Rugby caps: 76
First Rugby Club: Newport Juniors
Wallabies v Fiji at 1:30pm AEST on Sunday July 6 at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 19 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday July 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions at 7:45pm AEST on Saturday August 2 at Accor Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies v South Africa at TBC on Saturday August 16 at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Wallabies v South Africa at TBC on Saturday August 23 at DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Wallabies v Argentina at 2:30pm AEST on Saturday September 6 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Wallabies v Argentina at 2:00pm AEST on Saturday September 13 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies v New Zealand at 5:05pm AEST on Saturday September 27, Eden Park, Auckland
Wallabies v New Zealand at 5:45pm AWST on Saturday October 4 at Optus Stadium, Perth
Wallabies v Japan at TBC on Saturday October 25 at National Stadium, Tokyo
Wallabies v England, at 2:10am AEDT on Sunday November 2 at Allianz Stadium, London
Wallabies v Italy at 4:40am AEDT on Sunday November 9 at TBC
Wallabies v Ireland at 7:10am AEDT on Sunday November 16 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Wallabies v France at 7:10am on Sunday November 23 at TBC
