Melbourne Rebels 2011

[tranquility]

spot on. appreciate the summary.

 

[RugbyReg]

A twitter from Pauli Taumoepeau. So Sipa is off to the Rebels!

Another great morning about to be ruined by fitness!! Got to do it. Little bro leaving for Melbourne this week to start up with the Rebels!!

 

[Burke's Boot]

What happened to Pauli Taumoepeau? Was an incredible schoolboy player for Joeys though is perhaps too short for pro-rugby. I could see him being a great ballrunner in Mungoball at least.

 

[Lindommer]

What happened to Pauli Taumoepeau? Was an incredible schoolboy player for Joeys though is perhaps too short for pro-rugby. I could see him being a great ballrunner in Mungoball at least.

I was rabbitting on to Peter Crittle in 2004 at Weigall when I suggesed Pauliasi should consider moving to prop. Crittle was a tight five pig himself, and he agreed PT was too short to cut the mustard in the back row at the top level. "For Gawd's sake, if Richard Harry could do it surely Pauliasi can" he opined.

Still reckon Pauliasi's too short for an international backrow. Still reckon JOC (James O'Connor)'s too small for anything other than the 9 jumper.

 

[en_force_er]

Right hand turn from left lane only... wtf???? Not cool Melbourne haha

- Laurie Weeks' Twitter

Those hook turns will get you! Still better than all the one way streets in Sydney though.

 

[Joe Mac]

Last I heard Pauli was playing in Japan, not sure if he still is seeing that was over 12 months ago...

 

[topo]

What happened to Pauli Taumoepeau? Was an incredible schoolboy player for Joeys though is perhaps too short for pro-rugby. I could see him being a great ballrunner in Mungoball at least.

Came back from Japan this year and had a couple of games for Easts before breaking his ankle (again). Don't know what his plans are now. Still one of the best schoolboy no 8s since Tim Gavin, maybe took the money and ran to Japan a bit early. If he'd stayed, who knows?

 

[RugbyReg]

I asked him about his bro going to the Rebels and then what he was up to and his replies were:

@RugbyReg yeah he is. very proud. im keen to get back overseas, im over being injured....

@RugbyReg ..but my 2 bros and dad want me to stick it out another year and do the hard yards. i kind of want to repay their belief in me.

 

[#1 Tah]

The Melbourne Rebels have signed the exciting, young outside back Afusipa Taumoepeau whose career has continued to impress.

The former Brumby, a product of St Joseph's College, Sydney, is the 32nd member of the inaugural Rebels' squad.

The 184 cm, 95-kilogram, 20-year-old is a former Australian Schools representative, who progressed through the Brumbies Academy to become the youngest ever player to debut for the Brumbies when he made his Super Rugby debut against the Queensland Reds in 2008.

The following year he made a further five Super Rugby appearances for the Brumbies.

In 2009 he also represented the Australian Under 20 team that finished fourth in the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan, as well as winning selection for the Australian Sevens team that played in the IRB Sevens World Cup in Dubai.

Rebels' Assistant Coach, Damien Hill, is excited at the signing, "His career to date has been very impressive and he is a young, talented player who can play fullback, wing or centre.

He will fit in well to our squad that has a great blend of experience, youth and versatility."

"His selection as an Australian Under 20 and Australian Sevens representative highlights this talent.

He is eager to add to his 10 Super Rugby appearances and he will undoubtedly be pushing for Rebels' selection from day one," added Hill.

Talking about his move to the Rebels, Taumoepeau said, "I am in the early stages of my professional Rugby career and I want to keep improving and advancing my skills and knowledge of the game.

The opportunity to work with Rod Macqueen and his talented coaching staff fits into this goal and I am really excited about joining the Rebels.

 

[en_force_er]

I thought he was admirable when he was called into the Brums in 2008 and I was surprised to not hear much from him since then.

Hope he comes good.

 

[RugbyReg]

confirmed. The Rebels are particularly coy about detailing contract length with their players.

The Melbourne Rebels have signed the exciting, young outside back Afusipa Taumoepeau whose career has continued to impress.

The former Brumby, a product of St Joseph's College, Sydney, is the 32nd member of the inaugural Rebels' squad.

The 184 cm, 95-kilogram, 20-year-old is a former Australian Schools representative, who progressed through the Brumbies Academy to become the youngest ever player to debut for the Brumbies when he made his Super Rugby debut against the Queensland Reds in 2008.

The following year he made a further five Super Rugby appearances for the Brumbies.

In 2009 he also represented the Australian Under 20 team that finished fourth in the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan, as well as winning selection for the Australian Sevens team that played in the IRB Sevens World Cup in Dubai.

Rebels' Assistant Coach, Damien Hill, is excited at the signing, "His career to date has been very impressive and he is a young, talented player who can play fullback, wing or centre.

He will fit in well to our squad that has a great blend of experience, youth and versatility."

"His selection as an Australian Under 20 and Australian Sevens representative highlights this talent.

He is eager to add to his 10 Super Rugby appearances and he will undoubtedly be pushing for Rebels' selection from day one," added Hill.

Talking about his move to the Rebels, Taumoepeau said, "I am in the early stages of my professional Rugby career and I want to keep improving and advancing my skills and knowledge of the game.

The opportunity to work with Rod Macqueen and his talented coaching staff fits into this goal and I am really excited about joining the Rebels."

 

[RugbyReg]

AT 34, Sam Cordingley has been around rugby fields a long time. But the veteran half-back yesterday declared he had no intention of taking a back seat to the two young tyros he will compete with for the Melbourne Rebels' inaugural No. 9 jersey next season.

Cordingley is among a cluster of 30-something players that coach Rod Macqueen has recruited to the start-up Super Rugby club. He will be up against last year's spring tour squad member Richard Kingi and Nick Phipps, a member of the Commonwealth Games sevens team, for the starting position.

Macqueen said he was looking to the future by having Cordingley on a one-year contract and he expected the vastly experienced half-back to guide the 21-year-olds as well as compete with them.

Cordingley, who has spent the past two seasons playing in France, said he was looking forward to a mentoring role, but also to the challenge of claiming the starting berth.

''I think the best thing I can be is someone who is going to be competitive for a position,'' the former Wallaby said. ''I've never been involved in a side where I've wanted to sit on the bench or give someone else a start. The more competitive I can be in trying to go for that No. 9 jersey, I think that's how they're going to benefit and vice versa.''

And Kingi is looking forward to that challenge. Kingi's season at Queensland this year was interrupted by injury, but he was also caught behind current Wallaby half-back Will Genia and comes to Melbourne eyeing it as a new start. He said he would not be intimidated by Cordingley's experience.

''He [Cordingley] has got a lot to offer the team with his experience, but a rearing young buck like me, it's going to be a good challenge,'' Kingi said.

''… You just see it as a challenge and whether or not you are big enough to step up is totally up to you.''

Macqueen said he had an ''open mind'' as to who would earn the first chance at the No. 9 jersey.

''Sam's going to be a mentor to the other half-backs and he's still playing good rugby,'' Macqueen said.

''He's been captain of his side overseas and to us it's an ideal scenario where the younger players are going to learn a lot from Sam.

''… One of the things about putting a new side together like this is it's going to be interesting to see how combinations work.''

 

[TOCC]

I reckon a lot of these 'second-stringers' would be on 12months contracts, the unfortunate thing about been a startup franchise is you generally have to lock most of the players in for 2 seasons, meaning you have little flexibility to sign new players after the first 12 months

 

[TOCC]

one thing is certain for the Rebels, they will have no shortage of big backs

Mark Gerrard: 192cm/102kg
Stirling Mortlock: 191cm/100kg
Peter Betham: 191cm/98kg
Luke Rooney: 191cm/98kg
Cooper Vuna: 182cm/98kg
Afusipa Taumoepeau: 184cm/95kg
Lachlan Mitchell: 180cm/93kg
Julian Huxley: 186cm/91kg
JP Du Pleiss: 185cm/90kg
Danny Cipriani: 184cm/90kg
James Hilgendorf: 182cm/89kg

 

[WB3]

one thing is certain for the Rebels, they will have no shortage of big backs

Mark Gerrard: 192cm/102kg
Stirling Mortlock: 191cm/100kg
Peter Betham: 191cm/98kg
Luke Rooney: 191cm/98kg
Cooper Vuna: 182cm/98kg
Afusipa Taumoepeau: 184cm/95kg
Lachlan Mitchell: 180cm/93kg
Julian Huxley: 186cm/91kg
JP Du Pleiss: 185cm/90kg
Danny Cipriani: 184cm/90kg
James Hilgendorf: 182cm/89kg

I'm excited to see how they all fit in. I hope Macqueen is liberal with his use of the bench so that we manage to see the majority of these blokes in action. I've heard good things about so many of these players.

 

[rugga10]

I have heard Macqueens plan for game style next year and it is based around the 12,13 hitting it up numerous times in conjuction with the backrow i geuss we have to see how it works out but i think this is why he has selected large backs

 

[en_force_er]

I have heard Macqueens plan for game style next year and it is based around the 12,13 hitting it up numerous times in conjuction with the backrow i geuss we have to see how it works out but i think this is why he has selected large backs

And large loose forwards, let's not remember Chamberlain is an Openside flanker.

 

[en_force_er]

I think Saffy will make a great Blindside flanker rather than an 8 based on what I saw of him in the League GF yesterday.

I say this because:

• He seemed to be a high work rate player with good effect rather then having those devastating 1 off runs.
• His strength in his game was taking the ball into traffic rather then open space and you need your eight to be able to beat men 1-on-1.
• He didn't seem to have an offload game, which is more important at 8 then 6.

Still, I'm really looking forward to seeing him play union again come next year.

 

[stoff]

Well Danny Corcoran didn't last long at the Rebels. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/corcoran-joins-hird-at-bombers-20101004-163pn.html Back off to Essendon in the AFL to mentor his their Golden Boy James Hird as he fails as head coach. Wonder who we will get next, and if we can get some administrators we can hold on to for more than a couple of months? Its a shame, because I really believed Corcoran is one of the better sports administrators going around.

 

[TOCC]

that sort of news is rather concerning