Queensland Reds centre Josh Flook signs with Benetton as Isaac Henry re-signs
Wallabies center Josh Flook will leave Australian rugby at the end of the season, dealing a blow to the country’s midfield stocks by linking up with Italian giants Benetton at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
The 24-year-old, who has played in six Tests, had initially planned to take temporary charge of the club through its partnership with the Queensland Reds last year, but was later called up to the national team.
He will join Benetton from 1 July, extending the contract until 30 June 2027, with the option to extend the contract for a further year. Reds halfback Louis Werchon is also transferring to Italy.
“I’ve been following the club and Italian rugby closely over the last year and what impressed me the most was the passion with which they play and the love of the fans for the game,” said Flook.
“It reminds me of a lot of places in Queensland and how much rugby is loved there. Benetton play a very exciting attacking game, which is exactly the kind of game that appeals to me and I can’t wait to be part of that environment and contribute to what the team is building.”
Flook’s departure opens the door for Isaac Henry, who signed a one-year contract extension with the Reds following his try-scoring heroics against the Waratahs on Saturday.
Henry has made just 20 appearances for Queensland since his debut in 2021; Knee, hamstring and foot injuries caused him to question his future in his injury-plagued career.
“’Is this for me?’ It wasn’t that long ago that I thought. But I think you learn the most about yourself when you’re in those moments, and I’m pretty lucky and grateful to have those moments now,” Henry said.
“I think it was the knee that was the most traumatic. I tried to get better than I was before the injury and I felt like I did that.”
“Then I buckled down and it threw my world into a little bit of shock and chaos. But looking back now, I’m so grateful and lucky for that because I learned an incredible amount.”
Losing Flook reduces the center options available to incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss, amid speculation fellow Test sensation Hunter Paisami will switch to Japanese rugby. The arrival of NRL switch Angus Crichton could offset this, with the Sydney Roosters’ ball skewing towards the inside centre.
While players playing overseas can still be selected for Australia, no members of the starting squad for the 2025 Spring Tour have played outside of Super Rugby that year.
Len Ikitau, James O’Connor, Tom Hooper and Taniela Tupou played on the tour despite signing overseas deals. Noah Lolesio and Will Skelton were big names that could not be found abroad.
However, a lack of center depth has given Henry the opportunity to make an impressive impact ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, although he insists that is not a thought in his mind.
“I’m pretty focused on what we’re trying to do at the Reds and trying to play my best football for Queensland, so I haven’t thought too much about it,” Henry said.
Working in Henry’s favor ahead of the Wallabies move could be his developing relationship with fifth-eighth Carter Gordon, whose outstanding performance against the Waratahs has propelled him to the front of the Test rankings.
The 25-year-old scored two goals; He showed a surprising burst of pace given his own injury history to score the match-winner with his second try, beating Test winger Harry Potter on a 50-metre run outside and his bomb from the boot setting up No.8 Harry Wilson for the game’s opening try.
Gordon endured a carnage in 2025 after suffering a spinal fluid leak in an NRL pre-season match for the Gold Coast Titans, then suffered a broken nose, torn quad and broken wrist when he returned to rugby union.
But he appears to be taking another step forward each week and Reds captain Fraser McReight revealed it was Gordon’s work off the ball that caught his eye.
“It’s great to play alongside him, especially when we defend with him. He throws his body around and as a loose forward I love that, I respect that a lot because he’s looking for the guy,” McReight said.
“He can handle criticism on the pitch very well, sometimes men can get into him because he’s our number 10 and we need him to talk, then he does that and comes forward. I don’t think there’s a better image in a striker’s mind than to see our back 10 wanting the ball, taking the ball and owning that space.”
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