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Melbourne Rebels respond to ex-Wallaby's claim that they 'don't deserve' to feature in trans-Tasman competition
Melbourne Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson has hit back at claims made by former Wallabies loose forward Stephen Hoiles that his franchise “don’t deserve” a place in the proposed trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition.
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With re-structure of Super Rugby set to take place next year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand Rugby last week invited Australian franchises to submit “expressions of interest” to join a new eight-to-ten team competition.
All five Kiwi Super Rugby teams will be included, and a Pasifika side is also thought to join, leaving Rugby Australia, which has been running a makeshift five-team Super Rugby AU tournament since the start of July, with just two-to-four spots to fill in the competition.
It’s a situation that has sparked drama and debate on either side of the Tasman Sea, with RA chairman Hamish McLennan describing his organisation’s relationship with NZR as a bit “master-servant”.
Former All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen then said New Zealand doesn’t owe Australia anything, a quip that former RA boss John O’Neill labelled as “absurd”.
Hansen’s successor Ian Foster has also weighed in on the debate, as have ex-Wallabies and pundits from New Zealand, Australia and England, with criticism being thrown at both parties.
16-test former Wallabies loose forward Hoiles is among the most recent rugby personalities to throw his two cents worth into the mix.
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Speaking on The Aussie Rugby Show, the recently-announced LA Giltinis coach believes that the Melbourne Rebels should be the team culled should Australia should they pursue a league with New Zealand.
Hoiles’ claim stems from that face that the Rebels never qualified for the Super Rugby play-offs since their inception in 2011 and have struggled to establish themselves in a city that is dominated by Aussie Rules.
The former Brumbies and Waratahs star did, however, reject the notion of just two Australian teams being involved in the proposed competition.
“To be honest I’ve never really thought Melbourne have justified being in the competition,” he said. “They’re talking about two Australian sides – that’s ridiculous.
“I think four is the right number. It has to be Queensland, it has to be NSW, people talk about Canberra and Melbourne merging [but] I don’t think Melbourne deserve to be in that conversation … they just haven’t provided enough.
“They don’t get enough people in the crowd, they don’t perform enough on the field.
“We’ve got New Zealand having a crack at us saying they only want two Australian sides. That’s taking the p… Two is not enough. We’ve got to start the conversation at three and push to four.”
As the war of words rages on between New Zealand and Australia over the future of a revamped #SuperRugby competition, Japan has expressed his eagerness to stay involved in the Southern Hemisphere club game.https://t.co/E5RfbjRwci
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 20, 2020
NZR hopes to finalise the details of the competition by the end of this month, but Rebels boss Stephenson remains “extremely confident” his club will stay involved, regardless of what form the league takes.
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In the wake of Hoiles’ comments, Stephenson maintained that only the opinion that matters regarding the Rebels’ future was that of interim RA chiefs executive Rob Clarke, who also the former boss of Melbourne and the Brumbies.
“I’ve got a particularly strong relationship with Rob Clarke and ultimately it’s his opinion and his decisions which we would be focused on,” Stephenson told Reuters on Monday.
“I’m extremely confident that the Rebels and the other existing Super Rugby teams will all have a spot in whatever the competition holds next year.”
Stephenson noted that the Rebels had “been the second-best performing Australian Super Rugby team”, and said that foundations have been laid for the franchise to enjoy a “sustainable and successful” future.
He added that despite the squabbling between executives and leading rugby figures in New Zealand and Australia in recent weeks, the two nations “probably” need each other moving forward.
“For me personally, down in Melbourne, we know historically our biggest drawcard games are the Kiwi games,” he said.
“Without doubt, from the Rebels perspective, (New Zealand) add value and they’re the best in the world.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
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