Heading home.

Christian Lealiifano has put to bed any hopes that he might extend his successful spell with Ulster beyond his current five-month stay, revealing he still plans on returning to the Brumbies in January.

The Wallaby  playmaker hinted in recent weeks that he may consider extending his deal, at least until the end of the current season, but it now appears that will not happen.

Lealiifano joined in August as a temporary replacement for Paddy Jackson, who remains unavailable for selection while he deals with personal matters, and has been an instant hit with the Ulster faithful.

“I’m going to head back [to the Brumbies].” Lealiifano told BBC Sport NI

The deal from the beginning was to come over on a six-month loan and play some rugby again and hopefully put Ulster in a good position before heading back,” said the Australian international.

“It’s been really enjoyable but it would probably be wrong of me to stay on.”

The move made perfect sense for both parties, with Lealiifano having missed almost the entire 2017 Super Rugby season as he battled with leukaemia. With Jackson unlikely to play again this season, Ulster may have to dip into the transfer market once again.