Melbourne Rebels 2011

[Lee Grant]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

He made Oz Schools and the Oz 21 team plus he was in the Tahs Academy; so he wasn't that shabby. Agree on him being a tweener. As I wrote above: if he goes OK he'll end up being a Richard Brown type of player.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

SEVEN years after his own rugby career was ended in a scrummaging accident in the World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks, Ben Darwin has been appointed the Melbourne Rebels scrum coach.

For good measure, Darwin, currently assistant coach of the Japanese club NTT Communications, will also head the IT side of the Rebels' operation.

"So we'll be getting double the value out of him," said Melbourne head coach Rod Macqueen, the man who introduced Darwin to Test rugby, bringing him off the bench against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane in 2001.

"We're very pleased Ben is joining us. He will bring a lot to the new side."

Darwin is not only regarded as one of the best scrummaging coaches in Australia, but also the most safety-conscious, not surprisingly given how close he came to being paralysed or worse when a set piece went horribly wrong in his 28th and last Test, the 2003 World Cup semi-final.

In his retirement announcement a few days later, Darwin thanked All Black front-rower Kees Meuws for responding so quickly to his SOS call and de-powering the New Zealand scrum. "He may have saved my life," Darwin said.

Gloucester, meanwhile, has issued a statement confirming former All Black prop Greg Somerville will not be continuing with the club beyond this season, fanning speculation he will be the Rebels' next big signing.

But Macqueen insisted yesterday that Somerville still was torn between joining the Rebels and returning to New Zealand to take one last shot at World Cup selection next year at the age of 33.

"We're definitely interested in him but it's still too early to say," Macqueen said.

The Rebels coach admitted the Melbourne club was being flooded with inquiries from northern hemisphere players all excited by the prospect of playing Super rugby. And for that Macqueen thanks the Queensland Reds.

"There is no doubt that the Reds are helping us with our recruitment because of the way they're playing," he said.

 

[topo]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

It's good to see that they have a scrum coach at last, and someone with a bit of street cred. I am sure that the lack of a scrum coach up to this point has cost them a couple of good quality young front rowers who have now signed elsewhere.

 

[Lee Grant]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

He is a good acquisition.

I was there that day at the RWC semi when he did his neck and I feared the concern that all the other players from both sides were showing for him. I thought it may have been worse for him than it was, and that was bad enough.

From a Oz rugby point of view (only) his injury was ill timed: he was turning into a very reasonable THP by our standards of those days and Baxter, inexperienced at the international level, had to take his place in the final, and for years afterwards. Luckily Angry Al got a bit of slack from Watson in the final but the Poms got the result they were looking for anyway.

I was riveted by this:

The Rebels coach admitted the Melbourne club was being flooded with inquiries from northern hemisphere players all excited by the prospect of playing Super rugby. And for that Macqueen thanks the Queensland Reds.

"There is no doubt that the Reds are helping us with our recruitment because of the way they're playing," he said.

Woo-hoo. I never thought of that; did anybody else? Macqueen is not best known for blowing smoke; so if it is true that inquiries are flooding in it is likely that Melbourne may get some bargains for their start up. The Reds players may be doing even more good work for Oz rugby than we think.

 

[the gambler]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

DANNY CIPRIANI is desperate to put on a show to convince England coach Martin Johnson he cannot be overlooked much longer.
The fly-half has vowed to leave Wasps with a bang to prove he is Danny Cipriani rugby star - not just a pin-up.

Cipriani, 22, heads Down Under to join Melbourne Rebels this summer, knowing Johnson will not pick southern hemisphere-based players in future England squads.

Wasps are now fourth in the Guinness Premiership and are desperate to cling on to that final play-off spot.

And Cipriani is targeting the next few weeks to make another real impact - starting with Wasps' 'St George's Day clash' with Bath at England's Twickenham HQ.

Cipriani said: "I'm excited, we're all excited as a team.

"Winning is everything but in games like this we really want to put on a show for the fans. I'm just so looking forward to playing at Twickenham.

"It's an emotional time for me. I've spent seven years as a Wasp and I'm desperate to repay the support of the club and the fans with a real bumper end to the season.

"It's knockout rugby and we want to be there right at the end fighting for honours.

"I'm fit and available for selection for England's summer tour and the autumn internationals. I'm doing all I can and doing my absolute best and that's all I can do.

"It's a dream to play for England and a dream that I have no intention of letting go. Some might say that game time could be a problem for me in the autumn once I've left Wasps. But there are possibilities for me to explore and other club rugby I could be involved in if the clubs agree.

"But Wasps are in my heart and they will be the first club I talk to when I come back. If they still want me, then great."

There is little doubt of that if Cipriani's stunning shows of the last few weeks are anything to go by. The No 10 is back exactly where he wants to be, in the form of his life with a nightmare injury a distant memory.

Cipriani suffered an horrific ankle break in 2008 but his determination ensured that he returned two months early.

He is now famously dating actress and model Kelly Brook, who will go out to visit him as often as possible in Australia. But Cipriani is clearly more focused than ever to prove himself at the top level.

He said: "I'll miss everyone, my family, friends and the club. If I'd had the opportunity to make this adventure two years ago it might have been ideal.
But it is still too good an opportunity to turn down. I'll come back a better rugby player, it's a chance to hone my skills in a highly-competitive environment.

"I never look at myself as a celebrity, I'm lucky to go to some events but I don't look at myself any differently. I love rugby and my ambitions are to be the best I can, do well for my club and pull on that England jersey."

Saturday's game, actually the day after St George's Day, and others in the Premiership this weekend will be raising money for Sun-backed charity Help for Heroes. The Wasps players have even donated 100 tickets to heroes from our armed forces with more than 600 expected at Twickenham.

Cipriani added: "These are inspirational characters. Pulling together and paying for some tickets is the least we can do - these guys are the real heroes."



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...-Ill-always-be-a-lionheart.html#ixzz0ldBBLgRf



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...-Ill-always-be-a-lionheart.html#ixzz0ldAsBQhp

 

[TOCC]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

He is a good acquisition.

I was there that day at the RWC semi when he did his neck and I feared the concern that all the other players from both sides were showing for him. I thought it may have been worse for him than it was, and that was bad enough.

From a Oz rugby point of view (only) his injury was ill timed: he was turning into a very reasonable THP by our standards of those days and Baxter, inexperienced at the international level, had to take his place in the final, and for years afterwards. Luckily Angry Al got a bit of slack from Watson in the final but the Poms got the result they were looking for anyway.

I was riveted by this:

The Rebels coach admitted the Melbourne club was being flooded with inquiries from northern hemisphere players all excited by the prospect of playing Super rugby. And for that Macqueen thanks the Queensland Reds.

"There is no doubt that the Reds are helping us with our recruitment because of the way they're playing," he said.

Woo-hoo. I never thought of that; did anybody else? Macqueen is not best known for blowing smoke; so if it is true that inquiries are flooding in it is likely that Melbourne may get some bargains for their start up. The Reds players may be doing even more good work for Oz rugby than we think.

its also possible he wants to hurry up those players who are taking there time on making a decision

 

[stoff]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

How long did we sign Cipriani for again?

 

[RugbyFuture]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...cdonald-to-ranks/story-e6frg7mf-1225857407731

Melbourne Rebels add Greg Somerville, Hoani McDonald to ranks

* EXCLUSIVE: Wayne Smith
* From: The Australian
* April 23, 2010 12:20PM

ON a day they lost their chief executive Super 15 expansion franchise Melbourne Rebels have announced two significant player signings.

The signature of veteran All Black Gteg Someville ensures the new club a solid forward platform on top of the recruitment of NSW and Wallabies hooker Adam Freier and rugged Queensland tighthead Laurie Weeks.

The Rebels also added former Highlanders captain and Newport Gwent Dragons second-rower Hoani McDonald to a burgeoning player roster.

Earlier in the day Rebels chairman Harold Mitchell accepted the resignation of chief executive Brian Waldron falling the fallout of the Melbourne Storm salary cap crisis. Waldron only joined the Rebels in January after a five-year stint as chief executive of the disgraced NRL club.

good news

 

[en_force_er]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Do you suppose McDonald is another one of the Rebels said "captains"? Is he still Australia eligible? Though I'd guess he'd be too old now anyway.

Onto what I wanted to discuss with all the Storm business, I think with Waldron gone (plus his promise to play nice with the Storm) signing 1 or 2 of their players would not only be a good idea quality wise but also beneficial PR wise. I mean Storm has lost a number 1 sponsor and been fined a whole lot of money. At very least they will be a very different club next year, possibly they won't exist at all. Because of this I doubt it would be particularly hard for a big name to weasel their way out of a contract. The appeals of continuing life as is, in Melbourne, whilst experiencing a world wide game in a new and exciting franchise wouldn't be sounding too shabby to some Storm boys right about now.

Cronk should be an obvious target in that the Rebs seem to be short on the 5/8 stocks, particularly if Cipps does play FB. His union experience (plus his involvement in what I would still call a winning culture) would make him quite valuable. I could see him being similarly successful to Chambers in that it would be a similar situation. He is 26 and would certainly have many years to live out his union potential.

The next target for me would be either Slater or Inglis. Both great players, both mungos through and through. This however does not mean they would not eventually be terrific union players (they are 26 and 23). You couldn't have both due to lack of $$$ but having one would not be out of the question. I think Inglis would make a more seamless cross-over but he does have issues with behaviors that Billy doesn't seem to have. These guys would be very expensive project players, but the potential results are pretty appealing.

I don't think signing any Storm player would be too unfeasible at this stage.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

MacDonald?

Gees he is 31. Plus he's played for the Jnr All Blacks which, I think, rules him out?

Hoani MacDonald made his New Zealand Maori debut in 2004. He has also represented the Junior All Blacks (in 2006 and 2007). At provincial level he plays for Southland in the Air New Zealand Cup and the Highlanders in the Rebel Sport Super 14. MacDonald made a rapid start to his provincial career with Southland. Coming through the province's Under 18 and Under 21 ranks, he was in the Highlanders' Development squad in 2004. One of the strengths of the Southland pack, MacDonald hails from the MacDonald family of Marlborough, one of the most noted rugby families in the country. He is a former Southland basketball and touch rugby representative. Career Notes • A member of the Marlborough-based MacDonald family that has produced five generations of first-class rugby players, including his father Ini, who played for New Zealand Maori in 1957, and All Blacks fullback Leon MacDonald. • Has represented the New Zealand Divisional basketball team. • His mother was a world champion darts player.

 

[Ash]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Dunno if McDonald will be one of McQueen's "captains", but he's a very useful signing in my opinion. Good player.

Decent forward pack starting to take shape:
1. Somerville
2. Freier
3. Weeks
4. Byrnes
5. McDonald
6. Davidson
7. ?
8. Delve

Reserves:
16. ?
17. ?
18. Jones
19. Saffy

 

[tranquility]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Heres one I forgot about.

Lagi Setu (Brisbane Broncos). He was a freak number 8 and blindside when he was at IGS in Brisbane. Played Australian schools, along with his brother Rota Setu - who I think is in the Newcastle Knights setup.

 

[TOCC]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

there is also another younger Setu in the Broncos Toyota Cup side

 

[Lance Free]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Rota Setu is Lagi's cousin and plays with Sunnybank Prem's. He used to be at St George.

Waita Setu is Lagi's younger brother who's at the Bronco's juniors. Former IGS (he was expelled in Year 10) and Nudgee player.

Lagi Setu was an excellent flanker at IGS - very destructive defender.

 

[Lee Grant]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

I saw Lagi and Rota play in the Oz Schools 1st XV in 2005 at Scots against Japan with the likes of Beale, Turner and Pocock. I accidentally got there 90 minutes early just as the Japan lads were starting their warm up. The visitors were energetic that day and put a lot into their work - but that was before the match. When the game started they were rooted.

But I digress - the two Setu lads were in the 1sts but 4 days later I went to Canberra to see the match against NZ Schools, but no Setus were in the 23. It had been announced a few days before that both lads had been signed by league clubs and they were dropped.

I thought it was a poor show. If it was good enough for them to put everything into rugby union playing for their schools: IGS and St. Eddies, it should have been good enough for them to stay in the Oz Schools team.

At least one of them went to the Dragons.

 

[RugbyFuture]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...ven-rebels-boost/story-e6frg7mf-1225857650902

Cap cheats may have given Rebels boost

* Wayne Smith
* From: The Australian
* April 24, 2010 12:00AM

IT didn't take long. Yesterday morning the first manager of a Storm player contacted the Melbourne Rebels to sound out their interest in his client.

And so it begins, the unravelling of a great, if illegitimate champion side. Such calls will come thick and fast in the days ahead, not just to the Rebels but to other Super 15 and NRL clubs around the country.

The artificial gravity that for years held the all-star Storm team together has just been switched off and now players will be sent whirling off in all directions. Even those players who want to stay at the club may find there is no place for them within the Storm's suddenly regulation-sized salary cap.

Recent evidence to the contrary, this remains a rugby union column, so let us respectfully and discretely tiptoe out of the room, leaving the Storm to whatever sad fate awaits it and instead turn our attention to the impact of this scandal on the Rebels.

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Initially it was all bad. Through no fault of their own, they suddenly found themselves the focus of the media frenzy, all because they had been impressed -- along with everyone else -- by the Storm's phenomenal success and had headhunted the man responsible for it, Brian Waldron.

Luring him away from the then NRL premier in January to become their inaugural chief executive had seemed a masterstroke at the time. Certainly Storm's owner, News Limited (publisher of The Weekend Australian), was anything but happy, with two senior executives telephoning Rebels officials to vent their displeasure.

Just as an aside, those phone calls would seem to take the wind out of the sails of the conspiracy theorists now intimating that News, because of its representation on the Storm board, must have known what Waldron was up to. Logic suggests had the company been aware of the fraud being perpetrated, its executives would hardly have scolded the Rebels for taking the alleged perpetrator off their hands. But back to Thursday and its staggering revelations. Until that day the Rebels have given thanks for Harold Mitchell's involvement as club chairman primarily because of the money he has injected into the franchise, but as the media storm broke over them, they suddenly had new cause to be thankful.

As the biggest media buyer in the country, Mitchell immediately knew what damage control measures to put in place. So he let it be known he had instructed the Rebels directors to sleep on the matter before convening an emergency board meeting at 8am yesterday to consider Waldron's fate. It didn't take them long, especially after Waldron offered his resignation.

By acting quickly and decisively, Mitchell cut off all oxygen to the story, at least so far as it involved the Rebels.

Meanwhile, the media was hot-footing it over to Storm chairman Rob Moodie's press conference. Nothing he could say, unfortunately, was going to make the scandal go away.

"Some (employees/players) will want to walk," Moodie acknowledged. "Some fans will want to walk. Some sponsors will obviously want to move on." But walk where? Move on to what?

The obvious answer is to the Rebels. Not that anyone from the new Super 15 club is even allowing themselves to think like that, let alone to voice such thoughts.

The two clubs might have been on the brink of a fierce battle for much the same fan base, but no one on the rugby side of the divide is taking any pleasure out of watching the Storm thrashing around in what even Moodie fears might be its death throes.

Hopefully that's not the case and the one ray of light the Storm has in the midst of all this darkness is that its spectacular new home ground, AAMI Park, is about to come on line.

But the big advantages the Storm looked to have over the Rebels -- the fact that it was a winner and well-established -- will be stripped away next season.

If the Storm survives, it will be as a shadow of the all-conquering side of recent seasons.

Like the Rebels, it will be starting from scratch. There has long been the suspicion that the Storm's supporter base was largely frustrated rugby fans who had nowhere else to go. Next year they will.

That was always going to be the case and well before this scandal erupted, that contest for their hearts, minds and wallets had shaped as an intriguing tug-of-war.

But what no one could have foreseen was that Storm fans would be so dramatically cut adrift by the club they had adored. It could be a case of a pox on both rugby houses. Or it might just be that the Storm has handed the Rebels its share of the

Melbourne market.

Just an interesting and reasonable story on how the melbourne storm thing may affect the rebels

 

[RugbyFuture]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...m-a-brain-tumour/story-e6frg7mf-1225857655905

Julian Huxley has caught the Rebels attention after his comeback from a brain tumour

* Bret Harris, Wayne Smith
* From: The Australian
* April 24, 2010 12:30AM

MELBOURNE Rebels have expressed interest in Brumbies fullback Julian Huxley following his successful comeback to rugby after recovering from a brain tumour.

On a busy day for the club, which saw it sack chief executive Brian Waldron, sign Nathan Grey as a skills coach and add All Blacks prop Greg Somerville and former Highlanders captain Hoani McDonald to its playing roster, Huxley could also feature in its future.

Huxley, who spent two years out of the game after having surgery to remove a brain tumour, has made a remarkable return to the Brumbies in the past month.

"The Rebels have made Julian an offer which is fair and equitable," Huxley's manager Rob Joske said. "There are some points of difference and the normal negotiating process will transpire.

"The Rod Macqueen factor is very enticing. Julian has a huge respect for him. It has our attention, but not at the exclusion of looking at everything. The Brumbies haven't put an offer on the table yet, but clubs in Italy and France have expressed interest."

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.

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It seems astonishing that the Rebels might finish the day on which they sacked Waldron in better shape than they began it, but that seems to be the case, with the new Super 15 franchise also moving swiftly to install former Waratahs and Manly rugby league boss Pat Wilson as its interim chief.

Speaking from Japan, where he is coaching the Kyushu Electric Power company's team -- a Top League side for the past three years but recently relegated to second division -- Grey said he was honoured when his first Wallabies coach Macqueen had sounded him out about joining the Rebels.

"Rod is really enthusiastic about setting up the new club and I'm really looking forward to being involved in the franchise and having an input into shaping the Rebels culture," said Grey, who will join the club full-time in December, at the end of the Japanese season.

The 35-Test, 96-match Super rugby veteran becomes the fourth member of Macqueen's handpicked coaching staff, along with Damien Hill, Mark Bakewell and Ben Darwin, another Macqueen-coached former Wallaby.

A ferocious crash-tackling centre over the course of his seven-year Test career, Grey will be used as defence coach, although his role will extend to working with Melbourne rugby clubs and school teams.

While the Rebels' high-powered coaching team appears complete, the task of filling the 30 spots on the playing roster continues but the club has taken a big step forward with the recruitment of Somerville and McDonald.

Somerville, who has played with Gloucester since bringing down the curtain on his 66-Test career with the All Blacks in 2008, significantly bolsters Melbourne front-row stocks.

The club already has signed Reds tighthead Laurie Weeks and Wallabies hooker Adam Freier and is pressing hard to recruit young Springbok and Cheetahs hooker Adriaan Strauss.

Somerville will help to shore up the Rebels scrum, but 198cm, 113kg McDonald should bolster their lineout. Equally at home in the second row or blindside flanker position, he captained the Highlanders briefly in the Super 14 in 2008 before joining the Newport Gwent Dragons.

The Rebels still are hopeful of recruiting Brisbane Broncos strike weapon Israel Folau, Stade Francais back Mark Gasnier and Wallabies winger Peter Hynes.

The Rebels have asked Brumbies captain and number eight Stephen Hoiles for a decision on their offer by tomorrow, but he may seek an extension.

Hoiles is also being chased by French club Stade Francais, who will be coached by Australian Michael Cheika next season.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

they are a big chance of getting some Storm players I reckon. Not many will want to play for different clubs I reckon.

 

[TOCC]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

think you may be right noddy, if some of there players are cut i think the Rebels will be a option, however i think a lot of the players might just head overseas to escape the limelight for a while.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

the other factor is sponsors. Those leaving the Storm may want to jump on to the Rebels!