Latham will join Worcester on a three year deal after the 2008 Tri Nations in which the Wallabies will play their final test of the tournament against the All Blacks in his home town of Brisbane.
“We hoped the offer we put to Chris would keep him in the game here for at least another two seasons, but he will leave with our best wishes for the future,” said Pat Howard, General Manager of the ARU’s High Performance Unit.
“Chris has been an outstanding contributor to the game in this country for a long time. It is for that reason the ARU has agreed to an early release. His achievements and honours underline what an exceptional player he has been for Queensland and the Wallabies. We’re looking forward to seeing another vintage season from Chris in what we hope will be a fitting finale to his career in Australia.”
Reds coach Phil Mooney described Latham, who is entering the final year of his contract, as one of Queensland’s greatest players.
“Chris has been a tremendous contributor to the Reds and to the Australian Rugby Union over the past 10 years,” said Mooney.
“We’re also very disappointed to see him leave. However, we have appreciated his honesty and integrity over the past couple of months whilst making his decision.
Everyone at Queensland Rugby wishes Chris and his family every success. One thing we are committed to is ensuring everyone knows that Chris still has a Super 14 series to play with the Reds in 2008 – the appropriate send-offs during the season will be granted to one of Queensland’s great players.
Latham will join former All Blacks Sam Tuitupou, Greg Rawlinson and Rico Gear at the English Premiership club.
