Melbourne Rebels 2011

[TOCC]

thats old news Gagger

 

[Gagger]

thanks

 

[DPK]

yeah, i suppose it is too early. im just getting excited, like a little kid before christmas.

when it's only January.

banter

 

[RugbyFuture]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/successful-students-coach-on-rebels-radar-20100112-m4sh.html

Successful Students coach on Rebels’ radar
RUPERT GUINNESS
January 13, 2010

Sydney University’s Damien Hill is poised to be named today on a three-man coaching panel at the new Melbourne Rebels Super 15 side led by former Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen.

Hill, a former Brumbies Academy coach before he took over the Shute Shield premiers, has long been seen as a coach of the future. His appointment will be popular, especially at Sydney University. While he would have to stand down from coaching the Students, the club has long supported the bid for a Melbourne Super team in the hope it could open a pathway for its immense talent pool players to progress to Super rugby level.

The Rebels’ coaching line-up will be named today at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, which will be the home ground for the new team in the new-look Super 15 competition, which starts next year.

The announcements of a director of coaching, head coach and assistant coach follow yesterday’s meeting in the South Melbourne office of Rebels chairman Harold Mitchell.

Also in attendance were current Melbourne Storm chief executive Brian Waldron, named on Monday as the new Rebels CEO, and Macqueen, who coached Australia to their 1999 World Cup victory.

It is also believed John Connolly, a former Queensland Reds coach who led the Wallabies to the 2007 World Cup in France, where they lost their quarter-final to England, was also at the meeting.

There has already been widespread speculation that Macqueen will today be named the director of coaching. There has been suggestion that Connolly will have a role, although it is not clear whether that will be as head coach or as an assistant to work in development and recruitment.

But Hill’s name has so far been kept heavily under wraps. Hill did not return calls yesterday and Macqueen last night said he was unable to comment on the outcome of yesterday’s meetings.

While Hill’s name has come out of the blue, his appointment as a coach would make a good fit. It would send a message to developing Australian coaches that there is still an avenue at home for a professional career to progress and that working overseas was not the only option.

And even if Hill is named as an assistant coach with Connolly as head coach, that would allow for a succession plan so the Sydney Uni man could one day take the top job.

Hill’s credentials have been quietly recognised by those in the know who have been working behind the scenes to get the Rebels up and running for next year.

The Rebels’ leadership would have noted Hill’s role in four of the Students’ five Sydney premiership wins, first as a director of coaching at University before becoming head coach. When Wallabies coach Robbie Deans first saw the Students play in the 2008 Shute Shield final against Randwick at Concord Oval, he remarked that they were a side of the standard of New Zealand’s NPC competition.

Hill’s reputation would only have been enhanced when the Students repeated their title win against the Galloping Greens at the Sydney Football Stadium last year.

With Macqueen being a founding member of the Brumbies in 1996-97, Hill’s rise from the ranks of their academy coaching ranks would have counted in his favour. Added to that was his experience in a short coaching stint with the Suntory club in Japan after leaving the Brumbies.

Today’s coaching appointments, however, won’t necessarily be the last. The Herald understands that the Rebels might still be on the lookout for a specialist forwards coach.

One strong option is John McKee, who has long expressed interest in making a step up in coaching. His career began in Victoria coaching Harlequins and the state side.

McKee is head coach of Warringah and also held the same role with the Central Coast Rays, who won the inaugural title in the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship.

Meanwhile, Waratahs back-rower Wycliff Palu is bracing himself for the Melbourne-Sydney rugby rivalry to explode next year.

The Wallabies star has returned to the Waratahs this week after his break following the end-of-season tour in Japan and the UK.

Asked about the impending rivalry before Waratahs training yesterday, Palu told AAP: ”I think it will be awesome, I can’t wait to go up against them [Melbourne].

”I think it’s only going to be better for Aussie rugby. Down there, they always get great support, so that will be good.”

 

[Lee Grant]

The plot thickens - so Macqueen's appointment as both head coach and director of coaching is not as firm as the article the other day would indicate.

It would be typical Macqueen to take the reins for a year, kick arse and step aside for the younger man.

And Knuckles is also in the mix somewhere? I doubt if there will be any good news for the Reds if he has a role in recruitment.

We'll have to watch this space for later in the day. It looks very top heavy if two RWC coaches are going to be involved plus the coach of Australia's best club year team after year - that is, after the Tahs and Brumbies players return to it after the Super14. And now we have to add in Force players, McCalman and Inman.

Top heavy - and probably expensive.


And more importantly - McKee may be poached from the Rats? Old granite face will have to get a new wardrobe. That old leather jacket and jeans won't do. They'll probably give him a brand new tracksuit. He'll look like a robber's dog with a bow tie.

 

[TOCC]

Macqueen has been given a three-year deal as head coach and director of coaching.

His assistant will be Damian Hill, who joined the new franchise from Sydney University, who he coached to the past three Sydney Premierships.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/rod-macqueen-to-coach-rebels/story-e6frf9if-1225818788757

 

[RugbyReg]

would've been interesting to see McQueen coach in a comp with the full ELVs, considering his played a role in creating them.

anyway...if the Rebels were to get the best team available in Oz of uncontracted players, it may be something like:

15 Christian Lealiifano
14 Peter Hynes
13 Morgan Turinui
12 Quade Cooper
11 Cameron Shepherd
10 Berrick Barnes
9 Ben Lucas
8 Wycliffe Palu
7 David Pocock
6 Peter Kimlin
5 Nathan Sharpe
4 Mark Chisholm
3 Laurie Weeks
2 Adam Freier
1 Benn Robinson

16 James Hanson
17 Dayna Edwards
18 Ben Hand
19 Scott Higginbotham
20 Patrick Phibbs
21 Matt To'omua
22 Francis Fainifo

A handy outfit. Not the I think it will happen, but with McQueen now there I think almost anything is possible in terms of player recruitment.

 

[waratahjesus]

would've been interesting to see McQueen coach in a comp with the full ELVs, considering his played a role in creating them.

anyway...if the Rebels were to get the best team available in Oz of uncontracted players, it may be something like:

15 Christian Lealiifano
14 Peter Hynes
13 Morgan Turinui
12 Quade Cooper
11 Cameron Shepherd
10 Berrick Barnes
9 Ben Lucas
8 Wycliffe Palu
7 David Pocock
6 Peter Kimlin
5 Nathan Sharpe
4 Mark Chisholm
3 Laurie Weeks
2 Adam Freier
1 Benn Robinson

16 James Hanson
17 Dayna Edwards
18 Ben Hand
19 Scott Higginbotham
20 Patrick Phibbs
21 Matt To'omua
22 Francis Fainifo

A handy outfit. Not the I think it will happen, but with McQueen now there I think almost anything is possible in terms of player recruitment.

both robbo and palu are meant to have signed with the tahs through to the end of 2011 as well as pocock for the force i think, so will be 2012 before they come on board.

 

[RugbyReg]

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/sport/A...y-s-Salvi/article-1701828-detail/article.html

Would be a very good early signing I reckon.

Bath Rugby’s bid to retain the services of dynamic Australian flanker Julian Salvi could well be frustrated by the emergence of a new top-tier club in his homeland, admits team-mate and compatriot Matt Carraro.

The new Melbourne Rebels club is openly in the hunt for talented Australians currently playing outside the Super 14 – and Salvi is on the club’s radar.

Salvi, 24, joined Bath from the ACT Brumbies on a one-year deal over the summer. He has the option of extending his time at Bath by another 12-months, but Carraro – a former flat-mate of Salvi’s – says the English club face stiff competition in persuading him to stay.

“Julian loves back home and he’s going home to get married in a couple of weeks and he and his fiancée have got a little boy back there. It’s a big ask bringing the family over.

“It’s bad timing for us, I guess, that the new Super 14 side is coming in. But, who knows? He has had a good time here. He’s the same as me: he loves the team, loves everything in the city, it’s just the results that have gone the wrong way

“His fiancée was over here for six weeks and loved the place too so obviously that’s going to help him stay. I don’t think she was too keen until she came over and actually realized how good it is here.”

Salvi was Bath’s stand-out player of the first-half of the season. His work at the breakdown has gone from strength to strength as he has got a firmer handle on the often opaque interpretation of the Guinness Premiership laws, and he has also shown himself potent with ball in hand.

And Carraro believes such qualities will ensure a host of Super 14 sides will be after Salvi’s services.

“Someone of Jules’ calibre, for sure. Me, I don’t know what will happen. Jules has played 49 Super 14 games and has been around for a pretty long time, and at the Brumbies he was behind pretty much the best 7 (George Smith) in the world. He’s got a lot of potential there and a lot more to give in his rugby career.

“Sides back home are going to want to get guys like that back.”

But Carraro insists Salvi is keeping his options open – and that another season in Bath is far from out of the question.

“Jules isn’t going to make any decisions at the moment so we will wait and see what happens,” he said.

 

[chief]

Too add I can't see Peter Hynes moving to the Rebels. Just settling in with his wife in Brisbane. Positive for QLD I suppose.

 

[Lee Grant]

Salvi has been playing well though I haven't seen him since Xmas. At one stage he had the highest tackle count of the GP, but he must have had one of highest PK counts against him also.

He'd be a good pickup. I've just looked up my Melbourne team at the start of this thread, but I didn't pick him for some reason Just forgot I suppose. I had Beau Robinson down though. Beau said he was definitely interested in getting a Super gig and took a one year deal offshore so he could do so.

Robinson and Salvi competing for a 7 spot would be good and Salvi can play in other backrow spots too at a stretch.

 

[Ash]

I thought Salvi made a very good fist at no. 8 when he played there. Certainly useful as a backrow option, especially to combine with a 7 who may be necessary be a scrapper on the ground.

 

[Spook]

He'll be back at the Brumbies when GS goes abroad.

 

[elchoco]

Here's another one for your recruitment drive....

Aussie fly-half to quit French side
AAP - January 15, 2010, 11:28 am
Australian fly-half Scott Daruda, who left behind a Super 14 career with Western Force last year to play for Agen, is quitting the French club after failing to hold down a regular first team spot.

Romain Sola and Francois Gelez have been favoured by coaches Christian Lanta and Christophe Deylaud as Agen have moved to the top of the French second division.

Daruda, 23, is a former Australian Under-19 and Under-21 international.

QUOTE - http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/rugby/news/article/-/6681491/aussie-flyhalf-quit-french?

 

[eddo]

I'm not sure about Daruda? .. Rather spend my cash on Brock James if I was going to fly that far.

 

[Lee Grant]

Brock James is stitched up by Clermont until 2012 so he won't be available. A pity the Wallabies couldn't have had him at Murrayfield. He'd have won the game for us.

Surprised that Daruda, an Oz A player, couldn't cut the mustard at Agen. Mind you some of our Oz A players have been duds. Nevertheless, he'd be good to have for Melbourne, even as a backup. Unless he has burnt a few bridges in Perth, I bet the Force wouldn't mind him back either.

 

[RugbyReg]

did Daruda ever play Oz A? I don't think so.

I am pretty sure he played for the Saxons though - England A

 

[Lindommer]

did Daruda ever play Oz A? I don't think so. I am pretty sure he played for the Saxons though - England A

Australian Rugby says he played for Oz A in 2005, check here: http://www.rugby.com.au/players/wallabies/2005_squad/daruda_scott,37844.html

Saxons/England A? Nod, you thinking of another SD, Shane Drahm?

 

[RugbyReg]

fuck! I am too.

Apologies.

I work by initials only.

 

[Lee Grant]

Good one Noddy,

You qualify now for membership in the Lee Grant Absent Minded Club. Send the President (me) $50 and I will give you the details later - if I remember.