Wycliff Palu is fit after a full pre-season © Getty Images

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Wycliff Palu remained a New South Wales Waratahs player for the same family reasons cited by Ben Mowen for the Wallabies captain's decision to quit Australian rugby.

Mowen revealed on Thursday that he would leave Australia at the end of this year, to play in France, where he felt he would spend more time with his wife and young daughter than he would travelling with the Wallabies.

"It must be a pretty big decision to walk away from captaining your country," Palu said at Waratahs training on Thursday.

"If I was captain of Australia, I wouldn't be walking away like that."

Palu has invariably been linked with overseas clubs whenever his contract has come up for renewal in the past. He was subject of talk just last year that he would take a rugby sabbatical in Japan, before he ultimately committed to two more years in Australia.

Asked why he opted to stay at home, Palu said: "I think family and, stuff like that. I wanted to leave something behind, not just in Australian rugby, especially New South Wales, because they have done a lot for me and I just want to give back to the game before I head off."

Palu said when it was suggested that Mowen's departure would remove one obstacle to his Rugby World Cup 2015 selection: "I'm not thinking too far ahead. It would be disrespectful to these [Waratahs] blokes here. I'm just going to try to have a good season with the Tahs and go from there."

Palu missed most of the Wallabies' 2013 Test program with a knee issue, but he said he was feeling good as he enjoyed the benefits of a full pre-season having missed the Wallabies' end-of-year tour.

"I think it was the best thing to happen to me to stay back and do a full pre-season," Palu said.