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.
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.
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.
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
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments