James Buchanan
Trevor Allan (34)
2013 is shaping up to be a very significant year for the Rebels. It will be the year that will see the departure of many of the players hired at the inception of the franchise. Already we have heard that Delve and Cipriani are returning overseas; I suspect they will not be the only ones.
Trade talk has begun in earnest. The big name that everyone is talking about at the moment is David Pocock. It would be surprising to see him come to the Rebels in 2013 but where there is smoke there is fire, perhaps.
An interesting tidbit I discovered when perusing the online rugby papers this weekend was in this article by Brett Harris: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...h-graham-to-quit/story-e6frg7o6-1226334847548
Charles has impressed many and this looks to be a good get by the Rebels in the vein of Inman's recruitment this year. A young up-and-comer who hasn't quite gotten himself a big name yet.
Another interesting tidbit was this in this: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...ckibbin-mitchell/story-e6frg7o6-1226334787717
For mine, Mitchell has come on in spades this year. I wish we could give his heart to every one of the Rebels players; we'd be unstoppable in that case. However, he is also probably the least physcially gifted Super Rugby player I am aware of. So, I have mixed feelings about this news. The above article is correct in its assertion that Mitchell is probably never going to see Wallaby honours. As such, for his sake I would almost prefer to see him go and enjoy representative rugby. But as I said, his ticker is amazing and I think he's one of those players who is worth having around a side just to show all the thoroughbreds what hard work is.
Aside from trade talk, there remains an interesting question posed by the impending departure of Cipriani. Who will be the Rebels 5/8th in 2013? Most seem to think it will be JOC (James O'Connor), but it was observed that KB (Kurtley Beale) moved into the 10 spot when Cips went off against the Brumbies. Further, there was speculation regarding the Rebels and Sam Lane at the start of the season. Given the time he has spent with the Reds, it will be interesting to see where he ends up next year; despite his injury I would lay odds that he'll get a super contract in 2013, just where is the interesting question.
Also, there is the question of how can we possibly replace Gareth Delve? Being the Rebels most consistent player in the first two years of the franchise, his departure will be more keenly felt than that of Cips. Personally, I have my own theory that we might see one L. Jones at the back of the scrum in 2013, if we can find a suitable locking partner for Pyle. Calderyn Neville does spring to mind and it will be interesting if he has come on at all in the EPS.
Anyway, as I said 2013 is a very significant year with a lot of big questions to be asked and hopefully the squad will take on more of a specifically recruited appearance, rather than the somewhat cobbled together nature it has had in the first two.
Trade talk has begun in earnest. The big name that everyone is talking about at the moment is David Pocock. It would be surprising to see him come to the Rebels in 2013 but where there is smoke there is fire, perhaps.
An interesting tidbit I discovered when perusing the online rugby papers this weekend was in this article by Brett Harris: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...h-graham-to-quit/story-e6frg7o6-1226334847548
Charles has impressed many and this looks to be a good get by the Rebels in the vein of Inman's recruitment this year. A young up-and-comer who hasn't quite gotten himself a big name yet.
Another interesting tidbit was this in this: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...ckibbin-mitchell/story-e6frg7o6-1226334787717
For mine, Mitchell has come on in spades this year. I wish we could give his heart to every one of the Rebels players; we'd be unstoppable in that case. However, he is also probably the least physcially gifted Super Rugby player I am aware of. So, I have mixed feelings about this news. The above article is correct in its assertion that Mitchell is probably never going to see Wallaby honours. As such, for his sake I would almost prefer to see him go and enjoy representative rugby. But as I said, his ticker is amazing and I think he's one of those players who is worth having around a side just to show all the thoroughbreds what hard work is.
Aside from trade talk, there remains an interesting question posed by the impending departure of Cipriani. Who will be the Rebels 5/8th in 2013? Most seem to think it will be JOC (James O'Connor), but it was observed that KB (Kurtley Beale) moved into the 10 spot when Cips went off against the Brumbies. Further, there was speculation regarding the Rebels and Sam Lane at the start of the season. Given the time he has spent with the Reds, it will be interesting to see where he ends up next year; despite his injury I would lay odds that he'll get a super contract in 2013, just where is the interesting question.
Also, there is the question of how can we possibly replace Gareth Delve? Being the Rebels most consistent player in the first two years of the franchise, his departure will be more keenly felt than that of Cips. Personally, I have my own theory that we might see one L. Jones at the back of the scrum in 2013, if we can find a suitable locking partner for Pyle. Calderyn Neville does spring to mind and it will be interesting if he has come on at all in the EPS.
Anyway, as I said 2013 is a very significant year with a lot of big questions to be asked and hopefully the squad will take on more of a specifically recruited appearance, rather than the somewhat cobbled together nature it has had in the first two.
