Digby Ioane returning to Crusaders in 2018

Former Wallabies wing Digby Ioane will return to the champion Crusaders for a second season next year. 

The 32-year-old was limited to just three appearances the past Super Rugby season, but recently told Fox Sports he had fallen back in love with rugby at the Christchurch-based franchise. 

Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach confirmed Ioane would return in 2018, something he always hoped when they signed the former Reds star last year. 

"It was a slightly complicated structure to the deal," Riach said. "It wasn't a normal contract, in that we did two one-year deals, for a whole lot of reasons.

Ioane, who is in Japan for a six-week stint with the Robbie Deans coached Panasonic Wild Knights, joins fellow outside backs Israel Dagg, David Havili, George Bridge, Seta Tamanivalu and Jone Macilai on the books. 

While a hand injury played a big role in limiting Ioane's game-time this year, Tamanivalu's successful transition from the midfield to the wing, and the rise of rookie Bridge also cost him.