​Nick Abendanon agonised for four months about whether to stay at Bath Rugby or join new Australian Super 15 outfit the Melbourne Rebels, the Chronicle can reveal.

Having this week penned a deal that will keep him at Bath until at least 2012, the forgotten England full-back hopes his decision will prompt other Bath stars to remain in the city rather than head to pastures new.

The Rebels’ chief scout, John Connolly, was in Bath earlier this month to speak to a number of players about a move to Australia.

Abendanon was high up Connolly’s hit-list and the former head coach of both Australia and Bath Rugby will be disappointed at the 23-year-old’s decision to stay put.

South Africa-born Abendanon, a product of Bath’s Academy system, holds ambitions of adding to his two England caps and it was that which swayed him away from fulfilling his childhood dream of playing for a top-flight Southern Hemisphere side.

“The offer from the Rebels was quite tasty to me but in the end I decided

I wanted the next two years of

my career to be here in Bath,” he said.

“I want to push for a place in the 2011 World Cup. If you go to France you can nip back over the Channel for England training but if you go somewhere like Australia that’s obviously much harder.

“It would have been a great experience and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do but it would have taken me out of the equation for England and when I’m this young, that’s my main focus at the moment.

“There’s already been some big names showing commitment to Bath and signing long-term contracts. The fact that I have as well will hopefully get some more guys putting pen to paper.”

The decision to remain with the club that has nurtured him into one of the most dangerous counter-attacking full-backs in Europe rather than upping sticks to Australia was clearly a tough one for Abendanon, whose family live in Gloucestershire.

“I had a sit-down with John Connolly and the Rebels’ backs coach and they went through what they had to offer,” he explained.

“It was all very impressive stuff as you would expect with a new team falling into place.

“It was a big decision to make but I’ve made it now and thankfully it’s out of the way.

“There was a lot of deliberating and talking to people both inside and outside of rugby. I’m happy with my decision and glad to be here at Bath.”

Abendanon says there was no bidding war between Bath and the Rebels – and has not ruled out a spell in the Southern Hemisphere later in his career.

“I was up front from the beginning with Bath and said ‘This is on the table’. It wasn’t anything to do with financials,” he said.

“Super 15 is one of the things I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a kid so hopefully down the line I will have an opportunity for that.”

Bath Rugby head coach Steve Meehan said of Abendanon’s decision to remain at Bath: “There was a lot of interest in Nick and him staying reflects the great spirit within the club. It also demonstrates that he clearly sees the direction that we are heading as a very positive one.

“We witnessed just last weekend a performance from Nick that would concern the best of defences and now, with his contract extension off his mind, we are looking forward to seeing more of the same level for the remainder of the season.”

Abendanon, who has made 96 appearances for Bath and scored 17 tries, has looked dangerous in his past two games after coming back from a shoulder injury.

Now he believes that showing greater consistency and eliminating ‘shocking’ performances is the key to propelling himself back into contention for an England spot.

“After coming back from injury you feel pretty fresh and vibrant and that’s showing at the moment,” he said.

“Consistency is something I really need to work on. I have two, three, four really good games and then I might have a game that isn’t just a bad game, it’s a shocking game.

“If I can cancel that out of my game and become a more secure full-back then hopefully I can get in the England set-up.”