Wallabies playmaker Bernard Foley appears set to stay in Australia with Michael Cheika indicating the No.10 was set to resist overtures from Japanese rugby.
A straight-talking Cheika said he had spoken to Foley and believed he was set to re-sign soon with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).
"I've got a good idea of where he's at and I think we're going to find a good conclusion (for Australian rugby) to that whole story," he said.
Asked if he thought Foley would stay in Australian rugby, Cheika said: "Yeah, I do."
After kicking the winning penalty goal in the NSW Waratahs' Super Rugby title win and nailing down the Australian No.10 jersey, his loss would be a massive kick in the guts for the ARU.
He had been heavily linked to a move to Japan following this year's World Cup, however Cheika said he was confident of retaining the 25-year-old.
Cheika said the ARU was taking a different tack in retaining players, even though it was becoming difficult against the backdrop of the poorly performing Australian dollar.
He said he hoped to not only begin holding onto players who might otherwise fly the coup, he was targeting repatriating players who had gone for overseas stints.
"There are a few manoeuvres, we're not just going to keep players here, with the ways that we're looking at new contracting, we're looking at how we're going to get some players back," he said.
"Not just necessarily players who will be playing in the World Cup, but players who will create more depth in the game here and improve the quality of Super Rugby sides.
"If we can attack that on a few different fronts over the next few years and start repatriating a few players, it's a slightly more aggressive strategy, but that's what we need to do."
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