Rebels 2012

[Melbourne Terrace]

If Jp leaves i will be absolutely livid with damian hill. the kid is a huge talent and should of started ahead of arch spuds huxley and rooney.

 

[grievous]

Was the Leinster game mentioned? 13-12 loss against a B team essentially from the home side, 3000k attended at their no2 ground. Not good results on this tour, not sure what will come from it

 

[Hawko]

While not wishing to be accused of trolling, I reckon team management must already be going grey at the thought of Danny, Kurtley and Beiber out on the town together.

 

[lily]

If Jp leaves i will be absolutely livid with damian hill. the kid is a huge talent and should of started ahead of arch spuds huxley and rooney.

He was really starting to find his feet at Manly after hardly playing at the Rebels. I wouldn't be surprised if his spot went to Nathan Trist or maybe even Michael Hodge.
It also appears to me that once you are in you are in. I cant understand how Mafi, Afusipa, Betham, Holmes x 2 and a few others just seem to bounce from S15 team to the next. Isn't obvious that they are either injury prone or maybe not up to that standard. Give some other mug a go.

 

[Army_Gav]

While not wishing to be accused of trolling, I reckon team management must already be going grey at the thought of Danny, Kurtley and Beiber out on the town together.

Valid point. It has crossed my mind. Danny has been a handful obviously, if you agree with the media, you can attribute his behavior to depression.

Beale's and O'Connor's though? Maybe Hill will get the best out of them both. If not, they'll soon find themselves out on the outer. Stirlo & Gaz don't take shit from no one.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

If Jp leaves i will be absolutely livid with damian hill. the kid is a huge talent and should of started ahead of arch spuds huxley and rooney.

the presistant use of huxley throughout the year really frustrated me.
There seemed to be some emotional attachment to him by big bad Rod. Yes he's experienced, but it didn't seem to count for much in the final 2/3 of the season.
Rooney was never going to go anywhere. he played some good rugby in toulon from reports, but i didn't get the feeling he had a mind for the game.
JDP is a suprise to let go and it was annoying he never got much time. I thought betham looked good at times (he's still youngish) afusipa was up and down, never really looked comfortable at centre. I would have thought when the season was all but over you blood a guy like jdp a bit more rather than stick with huxley who obviously wasn't working.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Valid point. It has crossed my mind. Danny has been a handful obviously, if you agree with the media, you can attribute his behavior to depression.

Beale's and O'Connor's though? Maybe Hill will get the best out of them both. If not, they'll soon find themselves out on the outer. Stirlo & Gaz don't take shit from no one.

I can't see stirling, delve, and gerrard having any interest in those boys acting like petulant little brats. i can foresee delve punching one of them at training at some point in the year!
I hope they sort it out and the seniors lay down the law at the start. Given the reaction to danny putting himself before the team last year, I can't see JOC (James O'Connor) being well liked if he keeps this up.
Anyways, hopefully Brand o'connor learns how to manage itself better.
funny as i don't reckon he actually has that good of a 'brand' for all his talk of it.
would love to see some of these youngsters learn a thing or two from Pocock and Genia. there's a reason people talk leadership with those two and not JOC (James O'Connor)/Beale/Cooper

 

[Bruce Ross]

He was really starting to find his feet at Manly after hardly playing at the Rebels. I wouldn't be surprised if his spot went to Nathan Trist or maybe even Michael Hodge.

There is zero chance, lily, that Nathan Trist will play professional rugby. He is in the final years of a Medicine degree which effectively rules out anything other than club rugby where he is more than useful.

 

[lily]

He would have been up to it pre injury.

 

[Bruce Ross]

He has certainly come back from his second knee reconstruction in great form, lily. This is particularly impressive given that he is working long shifts at a hospital leaving very limited time for training.

 

[Lee Grant]

This raises a point Bruce and lily - that we assume that every grade rugby player has a burning desire to be a professional player.

I have met parents at schools game and yakking away with them they have mentioned that their boys love their rugby but had no desire to play pro and were focussed on uni and a career. It's only 3 or 4 over about 10 years, and one was in CAS reps, but there must be a certain portion in every school team.

Perhaps if they were better players they would have had the desire, but I am sure that there are more people like Trist out there, and have been in the past - and we wondered why they didn't kick on when they left school.

 

[lily]

A mate of mine Daniel Brown who went to Joey's and played Australian schoolboys in the 90s is a good example. My mentioning of the 2 Uni guys was more a subtle dig at Bruce about the opportunities open to uni players.

 

[Bruce Ross]

That one went through to the keeper without me raising the bat, lily.

 

[PaarlBok]

JP du Plesis has been picked in WP U21 side for saturdays match
DHL WP U21 SIDE TO TAKE ON THE FALCONS ANNOUNCED
John Dobson, head coach of DHL WP U21, today named his team to take on the Falcons at Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, on Saturday 27 August at 15h00.

The team is as follows:

15. Paul Cohen
14. Tshotsho Mbovane
13. JP du Plessis
12. Berton Klaasen
11. Tythan Adams
10. William van Wyk
9. Nic Groom
8. Jacques-Pier Swanepoel
7. Grant Hattingh
6. Helmut Lehman (C)
5. Reniel Hugo
4. Garrick Matthee
3. Tom Botha
2. Rob Herring
1. Francois van Wyk

Reserves:
16. Shameegh Allen
17. Brummer Badenhorst
18. William van der Sluys
19. Reuben Johannes
20. Fred Muller
21. Michael van der Spuy
22. Ryan Nell

Referee: Pieter Janse van Vuuren

KICK-OFF: 15h00

Understand his dad also play a big role in the Aus U20 Tah scrummie that have been contracted for the Lions. JP's dad coaching at the Lions. His small boetie is now at Paul Roos in Stellenbosch, same school where JP learned his trade.

 

[PaarlBok]

Sam Lane would have started for WP and the Stormers if he has not been injured for the season.

 

[Bowside]

Rumors on PR of the rebels signing fijian winger Nagala on a one year contract.

Their backline next year is shaping up as one of the best in the competition, very well balanced, with a few playmakers (Cips, JOC (James O'Connor), Beale), as well as some big men (Nagala, Inman, Gerrard). Gerrard has a nice big boot, plus they have ample place kickers (cips, JOC (James O'Connor), beale, mortlock). Also have good variety and impact off the bench with kingi, vuna and probably mortlock or inman.

Still think rocky should be a rebel next year, they would have a mean backrow with him, saffy and delve. Also think they should have signed either Charles or Whittaker from the force, as well as a hardheaded lock like MMM. If they had of, the pack would look just as good as the backline, but i guess the money trail had to end somewhere, and 3 top forwards would have been too much to ask for.

I think if they are coached well they should finish on the higher side of the draw, but will miss out on a finals birth.

 

[Ash]

Combinations will take a while to form though, but once they do that backline will look great. The big question mark is the forwards. Somerville is the biggest loss, I think.

The Rebels will need to plan their next recruits carefully - Lipman probably has a year left, and they might be limited with how long they can get out of their other good international signings, like Delve, Ged Robinson, etc, plus Frieir will be retiring soon too. The Rebels will need to recruit the nucleus of a whole new pack over the next 2 - 3 years.

 

[Army_Gav]

Combinations will take a while to form though, but once they do that backline will look great. The big question mark is the forwards. Somerville is the biggest loss, I think.

The Rebels will need to plan their next recruits carefully - Lipman probably has a year left, and they might be limited with how long they can get out of their other good international signings, like Delve, Ged Robinson, etc, plus Frieir will be retiring soon too. The Rebels will need to recruit the nucleus of a whole new pack over the next 2 - 3 years.

Props: Weeks, Zilla, Hendo
Hookers: Robinson (2 years), Holmes (1-2 years), Tessman
Locks: Jones, Pyle, Campbell (1-2 years), MacDonald (1 year), Byrnes (Foreign player?)
Back Row: Saffy, Davidson, Chamberlain, Delve (1-2 years)

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

You'd think delve would have max 2 years left in him. probably one more season before he goes back home. he will be a big loss as at the moment we don't really have a back up 8. Davo can play there I suppose, but as an 8 he's not of delve's calibre.

Is lipman around for next season? I keep hearing on and off reports that he's headed back to the UK.

the back line will be great but i wonder how much game time some of our players like kingi, vuna and gerrard will get. I don't know how the back line is going to work and i'll say it again i think they should let cipriani go. we'd be better off with JOC (James O'Connor) at 10, gerrard at 13 and beale at 15. if cips stays around we have him at 10, JOC (James O'Connor) at 12, who knows who at 13 and beale at 15. we're leaving some good players out of the starting line up, all of whom are australian and can play long term for the rebels.

I just don't rate cipriani particularly if we have two playmakers of JOC (James O'Connor) and Beale's calibre.

 

[Lee Grant]

Rumors on PR of the rebels signing fijian winger Nagala on a one year contract..

Faaaarque - I hope that rumour is true. He played for my French team Clermont and was the leading try scorer in the Top14 for 2 or 3 years. Sometimes he looks like Rupeni C. circa 2003. He left the club in the middle of last year to get married but never returned as he was supposed to. Apparently his wife-to-be was injured in a car accident but anyway, Clermont had to terminate his contract.

Every club in Europe will be after this bad boy if he is available. He's in the Fiji RWC squad so he can pick and choose. France is very popular with Fijian players and many of the French rugby towns have pockets of Fijian families. To entice him away from the nice life of a French southern town, (not that Clermont is that), and away from Top 14 top dollar, then get him to Melbourne, sounds very unlikely, but you never know.