Updated ,first published
It was a decision he agonised over for weeks, caught between two heritages as he contemplated where his career would be propelled.
But Massimo De Lutiis has revealed key discussions with two Test enforcers helped keep him from Ireland’s clutches, and delivered him to Australian rugby.
Standing at close to 130 kilograms, the 22-year-old tighthead prop inked a three-year contract extension to remain with the Queensland Reds, signing the same deal as fellow Ballymore wrecking ball and The Southport School alumni Zane Nonggorr.
Just nine games into an injury-ravaged start to his Super Rugby career, De Lutiis has been ushered into two Wallabies camps in a sign of his standing ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
But advances from Irish rugby – who he could have represented internationally through his grandmother – and Ulster had threatened to pry him from the gold jersey’s clutches.
However, a heart-to-heart with two Reds teammates – Wallabies regular Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and one-time All Black Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – helped the hulking rookie come to a final call, with the pair both experiencing European rugby.
“They just went through the positives and negatives,” said De Lutiis, who holds the Queensland record across all football codes for a bench press (202.5 kilograms).
“[They] said, you will be away from your family, and if you go over, you might be over there for the next however long – you don’t know when you’re coming back.
“They did say it was very fun over there, and they had a really good time.”
Thinking about the decision had given him some tough sleepless nights.
“It was a bit back and forth – something new would come forward, and then I’d have to rethink, and it just continued that cycle,” he said.
“Family is definitely a big thing for me, but career wise, if I had gone over, it could have been for a very long time … constantly weighing up everything in my head was a lot of pressure.”
De Lutiis has been unable to take the field this season due to a hamstring issue, but believes he will be fit to return after the Reds’ next bye to take on the Blues.
Wallabies coach-in-waiting Les Kiss stressed that De Lutiis and his onfield mentor Nonggorr, who boasts 19 caps for Australia and confirmed he turned down overseas advances, had the tools to be long-term pillars of Australia’s scrum.
“They’re in that position to be able to do that, and I’ve got no doubt they’ll do everything possible to make sure they do that,” Kiss said.
“They’re two guys who are hungry, very talented in their own right, they’ve got different strengths and weaknesses and are both prepared to look at themselves hard and say ‘what can I be better at?’
“I think [De Lutiis] has made a wise decision. There’s a lot of pressure on a young man like that, and for him to stand firm in that space and understand what he wanted out of it, I congratulate him about how he went about the whole process.”
After four straight wins, consecutive defeats to the Hurricanes (away) and Western Force (home) – in which they conceded a combined 94 points – the Reds are teetering on the edge of the top six.
Queensland’s next four games will be a litmus test of their premiership standing, beginning with the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday before games against the Blues, Brumbies and Chiefs.
How they fare will dictate the Reds’ season, and determine how harsh a light is shone on Kiss’ credentials as the next Test coach – despite an insistence from centre Josh Flook that such commentary would be “unfair”.
When asked if he felt any extra pressure to perform given his future role, Kiss said: “I think every coach will feel pressure about getting the results you need. We’ve got to stay in the hunt so we’re in a good position come the end of the year, and the next four games are important.
“Nothing certainly narrows the mind and crystallises what’s important like when you’ve got the Crusaders ahead of you, and we’re on the back of something we’re not quite happy with.
“We have to go out there and be the type of team we can be.”
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