Rebels v Reds 25/03 @ AAMI

[upthereds#!]

Well done Rebels, exciting game and did think they would get up. Reds aren't really kicking on under Thorne unfortunately. Tight 5 injuries not helping at all either.

A couple of points.

The Reds are clearly training for flat passes at the defensive line. JOCs passes aren't being called out at this stage because he is taking the line pretty hard and not obviously forward. Could be a smart coaching decision on this given the way they are refereeing the game. Also he is throwing the pass to where the player is, looks to me like his support players are over running their line a bit for some of his passes. That'll come along as they play more I would imagine. IMO not really his fault. I've only seen 1 or 2 blatant forwards from him this year which he shouldn't have thrown, particularly given his experience.

Wilson is an absolute workhourse, skillful and clearly a leader. He is strong and powerful but he looks to be using it wrong. Like a guy who has been bigger and dominated with that for a while/during development. The best guys in contact, take Ardie for example, accelerate into the contact/tackler. It doesn't matter if he is jogging and accelerates or going 90% and accelerating to 100% at contact. He wins the contact. Wilson doesn't do this. He often hits the line at a flat pace without acceleration into the contact. So a bloke standing still accelerating into the contact can will that collision easily. F=MA. If Wilson can learn this he will be one of the most complete 6/8's in the world. He just hasn't got that crucial aspect to his game yet.

Valetini does this quite well but now and then he runs very upright at a flat pace and doesn't win the contact. Often against smaller players.

Thought Jock had a fine game, he did a lot of cleaning up at the back. Made some solid meters and good decisions. Stats don't show decision making, which he almost always makes the correct one.

Again well done Rebels. That 8 is powerful.... is he aus eligible or full kiwi? Is he they guy who played for Wests in Brisbane? Thought it was odd the other big 8 wasn't selected and I believe he actually played for wests on the weekend.

Carter Gordon coming good is fantastic to watch. Finally some options for the Wobs at 10.

Angelo Smith, the reserve lock on Saturday was Wests. Ekuasi (the no.8) along with Smith and another Lock (Cardall who played 50 game for Wasps) were late signings - perhaps injury replacements for Leota etc.

Yes it was the other no.8 (who I thought was great last season) Tamati Ioane who played for Wests on the weekend. Hough (7), Sorovi (9) and Mason Gordon (15) were also there from the Rebels.

Once he returns, I'd rather see Hardwick off the bench then continue with the Poopcock 2.0 - the Wilwick. Kemeny is too useful around the set piece and Ekuasi brought some serious punch which has been lacking.

Foote has had all the big boys usually coming off the bench behind a workrate/popgun starting pack, I'd like to see a bit of a mix.

 

[KevinO]

I don't hate Harwick. Come on! He's a good player. The thing is, too many ineligible players in Rebels.

Let me show my thinking. My team is Waratahs, everybody knows that. In the papers I have to hate QLD and ACT and support the non-traditional sides like WA and Melbourne but at the end of the day, support Rebels is like support the United Nations team. Good players like Stacey, Monty or Ekuasi play for other nations.

You already signed Tupou. That's a step in the right direction. Now you have to sign other Tupous, the cheapest ones

Ok, so Hardwick and Ili both could have played for the Wallabies last year, no one was interested in that. Now they are not available the Rebels are carrying to many internationals.

Monty is a bit different, the Rebels and ARU screwed up not contracting him earlier in his career. Ekuasi is only 21 and not capped, so could eventually play for the Wallabies at this stage. Yes, residency rules are longer now but he might be worth the investment for the Rebels to sign a 8 long term.

 

[Wilson]

Ok, so Hardwick and Ili both could have played for the Wallabies last year, no one was interested in that. Now they are not available the Rebels are carrying to many internationals.

Monty is a bit different, the Rebels and ARU screwed up not contracting him earlier in his career. Ekuasi is only 21 and not capped, so could eventually play for the Wallabies at this stage. Yes, residency rules are longer now but he might be worth the investment for the Rebels to sign a 8 long term.

I don't have the same issue with the internationals at the rebels as most seem too, but this is wrong. Ili was first capped for Samoa in 2018 and as far as I'm aware has never been eligible for the Wallabies. In his original stint at the Rising he could have been on a residency path but was not there long enough to ever qualify.

As far as the Rebels' (and Force's) international contingent goes I think it's a sensible leg up to give the expansion sides when there's no real room to ease the salary cap and no chance of support from the competition as a whole rather than Rugby Australia - this is the big difference between what goes on here and the AFL/NRL - it's the actual authority supporting those new sides across the whole of the competition, not just a partial one like Rugby Australia.

I do think the rules around it should be clarified and published, but I also really enjoy the business of running a competition and generally want that stuff public so I can geek out on it.

 

[Members Section]

Ok, so Hardwick and Ili both could have played for the Wallabies last year, no one was interested in that. Now they are not available the Rebels are carrying to many internationals.

Monty is a bit different, the Rebels and ARU screwed up not contracting him earlier in his career. Ekuasi is only 21 and not capped, so could eventually play for the Wallabies at this stage. Yes, residency rules are longer now but he might be worth the investment for the Rebels to sign a 8 long term.

I dont think Ili was ever eligible, as soon as the season over he goes back to play in the NPC

 

[Proud Pig]

I think the issue for the Rebels and the Force that everyone needs to remember is that they need to pay more for a player to get them from the traditional Rugby states. It is not an even playing field, never has been and never will be. The salary cap means that they cannot pay the list any more so they have to distribute it differently. If in order to contract a player you have to pay 10% to 20% more than they will get in QLD or NSW then your salary cap is effectively 10% to 20% less than QLD and NSW. The only way they can hope to even out the in-balance is by signing players that are not as readily available to the traditional states, such as Hardwick, Ili etc... I guess the Rebels and the Force could be made to limit the number of non-wallaby eligible players and fill up their squads with the other states leftovers but they will never be competitive that way. That may suit the QLD and NSW supporters but is undoubtably bad for Australian Rugby.

 

[RebelYell]

When there are 175 Super Rugby level Australians keen and available, then and only then can we whinge about foreign players in teams.

If the Crusaders are happy to take a Michael Alaalaatoa/Pablo Matera etc, then I have no issue in hoping our teams will be better and our players perform at a higher level when paired with a small number of players ineligible for the Wallabies.

 

[Rebel man]

I don't hate Harwick. Come on! He's a good player. The thing is, too many ineligible players in Rebels.

Let me show my thinking. My team is Waratahs, everybody knows that. In the papers I have to hate QLD and ACT and support the non-traditional sides like WA and Melbourne but at the end of the day, support Rebels is like support the United Nations team. Good players like Stacey, Monty or Ekuasi play for other nations.

You already signed Tupou. That's a step in the right direction. Now you have to sign other Tupous, the cheapest ones

You didn’t answer the second part, what were we meant to do sack him as soon as he chose to play for Namibia?

 

[The Red Baron]

Where do u think the players who wear the golden jersey come from? You have 200 professional contracts, more or less. Against 680 professional contracts in the NRL, against RFU, IRFU, SRU, FIR, JRFU, FFR poaching your players. And you waste your few bullets in players that can't represent your national team? In rugby the international stage is more important than in League or AFL. Thanks to the 2027 RWC and 2025 Lions tour a lot of money will come in. So you have to feed your national team who represent you at that level.

Sure, and let's put a blanket ban on immigration while we are at it.

These teams are super rugby teams, and are doing what they can to win super rugby games. Save your commentary about the Wallabies for another thread.

 

[Marce]

You didn’t answer the second part, what were we meant to do sack him as soon as he chose to play for Namibia?

No way but you brought Monty Ioane when he already played some test matches for Italy

 

[Rebel man]

No way but you brought Monty Ioane when he already played some test matches for Italy

He is a Melbourne boy. We are always going to bring him home. He was born here and grew up here.

 

[Marce]

He is a Melbourne boy. We are always going to bring him home. He was born here and grew up here.

And Mack Hansen was born and raised in ACT. Are u gonna sign him?

 

[Members Section]

And Mack Hansen was born and raised in ACT. Are u gonna sign him?

slight difference when a guy from melbourne asks the clubs if they are interested in him coming home so he can raise his kids around him family nextwork to "signing a bloke from 600km away"

your a troll mate jog on

 

[Marce]

slight difference when a guy from melbourne asks the clubs if they are interested in him coming home so he can raise his kids around him family nextwork to "signing a bloke from 600km away"

your a troll mate jog on

No way. It's like sign Jack Dempsey for Waratahs. I like that guy but now he's committed to Scotland Rugby so is a foreigner in the books

 

[Members Section]

No way. It's like sign Jack Dempsey for Waratahs. I like that guy but now he's committed to Scotland Rugby so is a foreigner in the books

No its not & monty forgo playing in the 6 nations. Anyway no one agrees with you here your flogging a dead horse

 

[Sword of Justice]

No its not & monty forgo playing in the 6 nations. Anyway no one agrees with you here your flogging a dead horse

You are both flogging it but Marce is literally correct that the Rebels have signed a non Wallabies eligible player is he not?

 

[oztimmay]

Time to stop flogging the dead horse, gentleman. Let's move on to matches this week...

 

[Scooter]

Is it the first time they beat QLD and NSW in the same season? I can't remember another season like this

Marce I believe the only other season that the Rebels have beaten the Tahs and the Reds was 2016.

Round 6 Rebels defeated Waratahs at Allianz 21-17

Round 3 Rebels defeated Reds at AAMI Park 25-23

Round 17 Rebels defeated Reds at Suncorp Stadium 31-28.

 

[SouthernX]

Could have been 2021 had it not been for a Matt To'omua missed penalty on final siren at Suncorp. 23-21 (reds)

that was the year when the warratahs didn’t win a game

 

[Members Section]

Could have been 2021 had it not been for a Matt To'omua missed penalty on final siren at Suncorp. 23-21 (reds)

that was the year when the warratahs didn’t win a game

to make things worse, the next week i drove to canberra only to see Ryan Lonergan kick one from 50m for us to loose after the final whistle. It was the 1st time in 18 months id seen live sport

 

[Rebel man]

And Mack Hansen was born and raised in ACT. Are u gonna sign him?

Are we the ACT Rebels? Or the Melbourne Rebels?