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'We're all gung-ho': Cash-strapped Rebels willing to fight for future
Facing an uncertain future, the Melbourne Rebels are determined that if this Super Rugby Pacific season is their last they will go down fighting.
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The cash-strapped Rebels have entered voluntary administration and handed their licence back to Rugby Australia, who in return will cover their costs for the 2024 season.
The board, including chairman Paul Docherty whose financially stricken companies are sponsors of the club, have stepped down but the Melbourne management remains in place.
In a statement, Rugby Australia (RA) said it would work with the administrators and focus on a “viable professional rugby footprint in Melbourne that can be sustainable and commercially successful in the future”.
Themselves under huge financial pressure and with the Wallabies at their lowest ebb after their World Cup disaster, RA may look to cull the Rebels, who are believed to have debts of around $9 million, and return to four franchises.
Melbourne avoided the chop in 2017 when private owner Andrew Cox’s Imperium Sports Group transferred the licence and all shares in the club to the Victorian Rugby Union for $1 which stopped the then ARU from buying the Rebels and shutting them down.
The Victorian government then bailed out the club in return for Test match hosting rights, which could be an lifeline again with RA boss Phil Waugh saying they were included in current discussions.
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“The Victorian government has been a long-standing and significant supporter of professional and community rugby,” Waugh said in a statement.
“Our focus is to work with the Victorian government and its key agencies … to ensure the Rebels’ participation in the 2024 Super Rugby season and the continuation of professional rugby in the state.”
Club chief executive Baden Stephenson told AAP having no guarantee beyond the current season didn’t mean it was the end of the road.
“We don’t love hearing that – we’ve got lots of lots of staff and players contracted to 2025,” he said.
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“We’ve got the British and Irish Lions coming, we’re building a squad, we’re all gung-ho.
“I think for Rugby Australia, now that they’ve got the licence they’ve probably got some options.
“I would like to think that if Rugby Australia can help us navigate our way through 2024, that in 2025 there’s a really clear pathway and it’s almost a reset to the business.”
The Rebels, who have their first trial of the year on Saturday hosting the NSW Waratahs, have assembled possibly their strongest line-up since joining the competition in 2011 including superstar prop Taniela Tupou.
Coach Kevin Foote, who was an assistant at the Western Force when they were cut, said the current situation would “galvanise” the team.
“The first thing we spoke about was controlling what we can control,” he told AAP of his meeting with the players on Tuesday.
“If anything this is made the players very determined – I lived through this in Perth and I can tell you this will galvanise the team but winning changes everything.
“We’ve got to play a game that people are going to be really, really inspired by and we think we’re on the right track with it.
“We’ve got great recruitment and we’ve got leaders who have been at the club for a long time now who really want to show what rugby means in Victoria.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Huge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
215 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
8 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
36 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
15 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
36 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
215 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
215 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
36 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
36 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
215 Go to comments