A private equity-backed consortium won a vote on their plan to save the debt-laden Super Rugby club,as players,staff and the coach struggle with the impact.
Rugby officials have been warned the Victorian government expects an elite rugby union team to play in the state,with the future of the Melbourne Rebels to be decided on Friday as ministers weigh up a bid to stage the 2027 Rugby World Cup final.
Carter Gordon is considering a move to rugby league as uncertainty swirls around the future of the Melbourne Rebels.
The Rebels aren’t the only ones on trial as their increasingly bitter battle with Rugby Australia plays out – it’s the entire concept of the five-team model.
Rugby Australia has accused the Melbourne Rebels directors of misusing tax funds forwarded by the national body amid revelations the Super Rugby club had been trading while insolvent from at least 2018.
Kurtley Beale had a remarkable impact at fullback for the Force in Saturday’s victory over the Crusaders.
A Fijian Drua forward was red-carded for a headbutt but the Super Rugby judiciary decided it wasn’t serious given it only made “limited contact”.
NSW’s malaise would appear to be terminal. But the example of the Blues – for so long New Zealand rugby’s great underachievers – shows a turnaround is possible.
Fijian Drua star Frank Lomani was left visibly shaken after allegedly being the target of a racial slur by a fan during Friday night’s match against the Rebels in Melbourne.
A private equity-backed consortium led by business heavyweight Leigh Clifford is working on a deal to save the Rebels and move the club to Melbourne’s west.
The Brumbies and Reds put on a quality display on Saturday,but it’s still a step below Test rugby and that complicates matters for the Wallabies’ coach.