"I'm pretty happy. I'm just grateful for the opportunity the club has given me, especially from Dan," Kautai said.

Coach Dan McKellar slotted in Kautai as injury cover last year and just days after arriving to the capital from New Zealand, he was making his Brumbies debut.

"It's great for the Brumbies to have Sefo re-sign with the club for another couple years," the coach said.

"We knew we were fortunate to find a tighthead with Super Rugby experience when we needed someone on short notice last year, but Sef's exceeded all expectations and has fitted seamlessly into the club.

"Depth at tighthead is critical and we've seen that this season, where Sefo has slotted in and brought value so having him stay at the Brumbies is fantastic."

Kautai is excited to return to his homeland when the Brumbies take on Moana Pasifika this weekend at Mount Smart Stadium, and he's been busy securing tickets for his family and friends expected to attend.

"It will be good to be back home with family but we've all got a job to do," he said, having relied on social media to keep in touch with his loved ones abroad.

"We'll focus on the game and whatever time we have afterwards, it'll be good to catch up.

"We have a family group chat so we keep in touch almost every day and it'll be good to see them when we play Moana."

The 25-year-old has made five appearances for the Brumbies, with previous Super Rugby experience with the Chiefs. The former Junior All Black said he's felt very comfortable in his new setting in Canberra. Now set to remain here a while longer, he couldn't be happier.

"To be honest Canberra is similar to Hamilton where I grew up, an hour away from Auckland," he said. "It's pretty chilled out, not so busy, so I've enjoyed it.

"With rugby all the learnings from the previous years not getting the opportunity I wanted, I'm grateful and keen to get stuck in."

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