Melbourne Rebels

The Rebels Rugby team was initially created as an expansion club for the Super Rugby competition. Victoria had pushed for a side since 2002, but were unsuccessful on several occasions. As a result, they formed a side called the Melbourne Rebels, who played in the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship in 2007.

However, it took until 2011 for the team’s bid for Super Rugby status to be accepted after a lot of internal politics at the governing body. Ever since, the club has struggled both on and off the pitch.

Initially, the club was banned from announcing signings and their CEO was forced to resign due to salary cap irregularities at his previous club. In the following years, the Rebels Rugby team was also bought and sold several times, including once as a last-gasp attempt to save the team and keep them in the Super Rugby tournament.

On the pitch, the Rebels Rugby team have experienced limited success in Super Rugby. In fact, since 2011, they have never finished in the playoff places and have finished bottom of the table on several occasions. Their only success of note came in the 2020 edition of the newly-formed Super Rugby AU tournament, when they finished third out of five teams. However, they were comprehensively beaten 25-13 by the Reds in the qualifying final.