Melbourne Rebels
Encyclopedia
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union
team based in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. They made their debut in SANZAR's
Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia. The club shares its name with a former Australian Rugby Championship
team, but is unrelated.
competition after the 1995 World Cup. SANZAR
was formed to manage a 12-team provincial union from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. During the early years of 2000s South Africa and Australia pushed for additional teams each. Argentina
also expressed interest. Discussions also included federated pacific island team in the vein of the West Indies cricket team, or individual island nations.
Bids for the 13th and 14th franchise opened in 2002. Melbourne had, to that point, successfully hosted several Wallaby test matches which the Victorian Rugby Union
used to demonstrate a ground swell of support for rugby by the Victorian public. Melbourne also hosted several World Cup matches hosted at Docklands Stadium and drew 50,000 to the final day of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
Rugby 7s.
The then Bracks government promised investment in infrastructure, considering a 25,000 seat redevelopment of Olympic Park Stadium
or $100m for a new stadium. The successful bid went to Western Australia
, ultimately becoming the Western Force
for the 2004 Super 14 season.
In 2006 the Australian Rugby Union, following the suggestions of a working party, announced the formation of a national domestic competition. The Melbourne Rebels were established for the inaugural season of the Australian Rugby Championship
by virtue of NSW surrendering a fourth team in favour of Victoria. Coached by Bill Millard and captained by David Croft, the Rebels finished fourth (out of 8) and were runners up. The move was viewed as an interim step to a Super 14 franchise.
The VRU bid twice for a team in SANZAR's
'Super' provincial competition before being accepted for the 2011 season. Their winning bid was named after the team they fielded in the ARC.
On 29 July, at the Victorian Rugby Union's quarterly corporate luncheon, the Melbourne Rebels and the Victorian Rugby Union launched the playing strip, logo and club song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables
.
The Australian expressions of interest included three from Victoria, one from Western Sydney, one from the Gold Coast, the New South Wales Country Rugby Union (backed by John Singleton
) and a second Queensland team.
Three expressions of interest came out of Victoria for new Super licence- the Vic Super 15 headed by Mark Ella
and backed by Kevin Maloney along with three former VRU directors, a Belgravia Group bid led by Geoff Lord
(on behalf of the Melbourne Victory) and the Melbourne Rebels bid from the Victorian Rugby Union with backing from media magnate Harold Mitchell with assistance from corporate consultants, including KPMG
.
On 12 August 2009, the Australian Rugby Union
endorsed Victoria
as Australia's sole candidate state for the new licence in the Australian conference in the expanded 2011 Super 15
competition.
They attempted to broker a deal that would consolidate the three bids as a singular entity that they hoped would be "overwhelmingly successful". The Melbourne Rebels bid petitioned the ARU
to submit only one of the three bids to SANZAR.
The efforts to amalgamate these bids was fraught with politics. Investment banker John Wylie brokered a tentative agreement between the Melbourne Rebels and the Vic Super 15 that was announced at the 2009 Weary Dunlop Luncheon.
Given that SANZAR could not reach a unanimous decision the matter was sent to arbitration. The arbitrators felt that the Southern Kings
' bid was more advanced with regard to business and financial planning and organization structure and governance. They also felt that the Southern Kings also had a stronger player base and rugby tradition. Revenue however, from the sale of broadcasting rights to Australasian broadcasters, would be reduced by US$15–20m over the course of a five year agreement should the 15th team be resident in South Africa.
On 12 November 2009, after an arbitration process between themselves and South Africa's
Southern Kings
, Victoria was awarded the 15th Super Rugby
licence, as it was considered more financially viable to SANZAR. The bid was provisionally offered to the Vicsuper 15 consortium but an agreement could not be reached on the ownership model. They withdrew and the licence went to the Victorian Rugby Union's Melbourne Rebels.
Rod Macqueen was appointed Head Coach, and Director of Coaching, 12 January. Macqueen is former coach or the winning World Cup Wallabies, and is a former Brumbies administrator. Damien Hill, three time Shute Shield
Sydney University
coach, became Macqueen's assistant. Former Western Force
CEO Greg Harris was appointed General Manager, Football Operations.
Brian Waldron was initially appointed CEO, but resigned in April after being implicated in salary cap rorting while CEO of the Melbourne Storm (NRL). Auditor were called to examine Waldron's signings to ensure, as Wilson put it, "[Rebels] procedures are in accordance with the [ARU] protocols.
Pat Wilson, a former CEO of the Manly Sea Eagles and NSW Waratahs, and former ARU general manager of high performance became interim CEO in April, until Ross Oakley
was appointed in September. Oakley is a former AFL CEO and current CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union. Mitchell said he expected the Rebels to retain Wilson in some capacity.
director Leon L'Hullier, entrepreneur Lyndsey Cattermole, former VRU president Gary Gray, Fred Hollows Foundation director Bob Dalziel, Tabcorp former deputy chairman Tony Hodgson, and Tim North SC, the current president of the VRU.
The senior management team is:
Steve Boland, CEO
Durham Kenigsvalds, CFO
team in consultation with the local rugby community; VRU officials decided on the Rebels name in reference to Victoria's first Wallaby
, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop
. Chris "Buddha" Handy at the launch, said that "like the great Weary Dunlop, Victorian rugby has a history of daring to be different, a touch of the larrikin
, and always having a go. These qualities are what you want in a Rebel and characterise the way Victoria is successfully tackling this historic year." The name was retained for the Super team.
and Victoria
The Rebels represent Victoria, Australia in the Super Rugby provincial tournament. The franchise area includes the 25 Victorian senior clubs of the Victorian Rugby Union, who view the Rebels as the final step for elite Victorian players to representative rugby. The 2010 state trials experienced a huge increase in participation, attributed to the establishment of the Rebels.
Eddie Jones said the Rebels should not have been added to Super Rugby: "The reason they're in is because of TV rights. The current 14-team competition is just starting to find its feet [and the] addition of another Australian franchise is not good for Australian [or Super] rugby ..." Jones went on: "Another Australian side is just going to weaken the third and fourth teams. ... It's unrealistic for Australia to have five teams and it will be bad for Wallaby rugby in the short-term, for the next 10 to 15 years."
Contrary to Jones, Wallabies
coach Robbie Deans
stated the side's vast experience was an asset and predicted the Rebels could be competitive from the outset.
. Each game is to commence Friday at 7:40pm.
The stadium officially opened 8 May 2010 with a rugby league test between Australia and New Zealand
which drew 29,442 spectators. The Rebels share AAMI Park with co-tenants Melbourne Victory (soccer), Melbourne Heart
(soccer) and Melbourne Storm
(rugby league).
AAMI Park was designed by Cox Architects (Sydney), with input from Waratah and former Wallaby
prop Al Baxter
.
Rebels' training and administration will be based in Carlton North, in specially upgraded facilities at Princes Park stadium, which also hosts the Carlton Football Club
.
From the outset, Macqueen and his coaching staff have made it clear they will target players who can contribute to club culture in the long term, with an emphasis on preparing players for 'life after rugby'. Both Stirling Mortlock
and former Wallaby Mark Gerrard
commented on the Rebel's commitment to developing "life after rugby" were factors they were considering.
The first signing was London Wasps
fly half Danny Cipriani
initially slated to play at fullback, a position he's played on occasion for the Wasps. Prop Laurie Weeks signed 18 March. Welsh number 8 Gareth Delve
signed 28 March saying, "The opportunity to test myself alongside the best players in world rugby in a competition I have grown up admiring, was one I couldn't refuse." Stirling Mortlock signed 31 March, in a three year deal for an undisclosed sum.
Jarrod Saffy
became the first Rebel to 'convert' from rugby league
. The ARU was reluctant to allow the Rebels to sign rugby league players, due to a high number of converts returning to league.
Senior Assistant Coach – John Muggleton
Assistant Coach – Nathan Grey
Assistant Coach – Matt Cockbain
Coaching Consultant – Andrew Johns
Performance Analyst – Ben Darwin
Head of Performance - Mark Andrews
Head of Strength and Conditioning – Zane Leonard
Team Doctor – Tracy Peters
and Twitter
. The Facebook page is 'liked' by 4500 fans and 600 Twitter followers.
After the license was awarded to Australia
and subsequently Melbourne, Victoria, the group became the Rebel Army.
, and one against Fiji
, before a facing the Crusaders (New Zealand), a fortnight before round one.
The Rebels won both games against Tonga, 43-13 at Olympic Park and 54-0 at La Trobe City Stadium in Morwell, playing two uncontracted amateur players from Victorian Rugby Union clubs; Chris Slade from the Melbourne Unicorns and Sam Latunipulu Jnr from the Southern Districts Pirates.
Coach Macqueen said, after the contests with Tonga: "We were looking to try a few different things and a lot of them came off, so overall, we were happy with the performance; ... it's not about winning and losing, it's about trialling things under pressure. [We had pressure and] started to see a lot of the team structure, too, a lot of phases of play coming off. ... We are about to enter into one of the toughest competitions in world rugby. If we were playing like we are now, we wouldn't be successful ..."
at home at AAMI Park, in front of over 24,000 people. The Rebels made four changes to the starting 15 to take on the Brumbies on 25 February, in front of over 14,000 people. Huxley moved to inside center (number 12), allowing Mark Gerrard
to make his debut at full back. Danny Cipriani
and Nick Phipps
also took their places in the run-on 15 for their first times. It was Cipriani who scored the first points for the Rebels, with a successful penalty kick in the 15th minute. Captain Stirling Mortlock
scored the Rebels' first try with eight minutes to go, to put the team in front 22-19. Shortly after, Brumbies' winger Henry Speight scored a controversial try, off what appeared to be a clear forward pass, and the Brumbies were ahead 24-22. In the final minute of the game, the Brumbies gave away a penalty 37 metres out from the Rebels line, after some push and shove in a Brumbies scrum. Danny Cipriani slotted the penalty, handing Melbourne their debut Super Rugby win, 25 points to 24.
The Rebels won their Round 6 home-game against the Wellington Hurricanes
,
and their Round 7 clash against the Western Force. For Rounds 13 and 14 the Rebels travelled to South Africa for games against the Bulls and the Cheetahs
. The Rebels lost 47–10 to the Bulls, yet Bulls' coach Frans Ludeke expressed confidence that the Rebels could experience a rapid rise in Super Rugby.
's 1 win, 2 draws and 10 losses) and falling one log point short of equalling the Central Cheetahs
debut season (who won 5 and lost 6) and incurring 24 log points. The franchise announced the morning after their final round loss to the Western Force they had signed a two year deal with James O'Connor
and Mitch Inman in addition to Kurtley Beale
from the Waratahs. Rod Macqueen stepped down as head coach to take up a place on the board of directors and was succeeded as head coach by former assistant Damien Hill. There were three retirees from the inaugural squad; Kevin O'Neill, Greg Somerville
and Sam Cordingley
while Luke Rooney
returned to French rugby club Toulon. The Rebels announced a week long post season tour; playing Bath, Worcester and European champions Leinster. At the 2011 Australian Super Rugby Awards Rebels incumbent scrumhalf Nick Phipps won the Australian conference Rookie of the year award.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team based in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. They made their debut in SANZAR's
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia. The club shares its name with a former Australian Rugby Championship
Australian Rugby Championship
The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
team, but is unrelated.
History
The era of professionalism in rugby led to a restructuring of the Super 10Super 10 (Southern Hemisphere competition)
The Super 10 was a rugby union tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga and Western Samoa, which ran for three years from 1993 to 1995...
competition after the 1995 World Cup. SANZAR
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
was formed to manage a 12-team provincial union from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. During the early years of 2000s South Africa and Australia pushed for additional teams each. Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
also expressed interest. Discussions also included federated pacific island team in the vein of the West Indies cricket team, or individual island nations.
Bids for the 13th and 14th franchise opened in 2002. Melbourne had, to that point, successfully hosted several Wallaby test matches which the Victorian Rugby Union
Victorian Rugby Union
The Victorian Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the state of Victoria, Australia. The VRU manages 26 clubs in metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria,and the border region of NSW which compromises 156 junior, senior mens and women's teams.-History:The Victorian Rugby Union was...
used to demonstrate a ground swell of support for rugby by the Victorian public. Melbourne also hosted several World Cup matches hosted at Docklands Stadium and drew 50,000 to the final day of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
Rugby 7s.
The then Bracks government promised investment in infrastructure, considering a 25,000 seat redevelopment of Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium
Olympic Park Stadium was a multi-purpose outdoor stadium located on Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. The stadium was built as an athletics training venue for the 1956 Olympics, a short distance from the MCG, which served as the Olympic Stadium...
or $100m for a new stadium. The successful bid went to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, ultimately becoming the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
for the 2004 Super 14 season.
In 2006 the Australian Rugby Union, following the suggestions of a working party, announced the formation of a national domestic competition. The Melbourne Rebels were established for the inaugural season of the Australian Rugby Championship
Australian Rugby Championship
The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
by virtue of NSW surrendering a fourth team in favour of Victoria. Coached by Bill Millard and captained by David Croft, the Rebels finished fourth (out of 8) and were runners up. The move was viewed as an interim step to a Super 14 franchise.
The VRU bid twice for a team in SANZAR's
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
'Super' provincial competition before being accepted for the 2011 season. Their winning bid was named after the team they fielded in the ARC.
On 29 July, at the Victorian Rugby Union's quarterly corporate luncheon, the Melbourne Rebels and the Victorian Rugby Union launched the playing strip, logo and club song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
.
The 15th licence
With SANZAR announcing a restructure while renegotiating broadcast rights, an additional licence was created. Ten bids were received: seven from Australia, two from New Zealand (Hawkes Bay and Taranaki) and the Southern Kings from South Africa.The Australian expressions of interest included three from Victoria, one from Western Sydney, one from the Gold Coast, the New South Wales Country Rugby Union (backed by John Singleton
John Singleton (Australian entrepreneur)
John Desmond Singleton AM is an Australian entrepreneur. He built his success and wealth in the advertising business in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s...
) and a second Queensland team.
Three expressions of interest came out of Victoria for new Super licence- the Vic Super 15 headed by Mark Ella
Mark Ella
Mark Gordon Ella is an Indigenous Australian former rugby union player, often considered as one of his country's all-time greats in that sport. In a relatively short career , Mark Ella established himself as one of the all-time greats in world rugby union...
and backed by Kevin Maloney along with three former VRU directors, a Belgravia Group bid led by Geoff Lord
Geoff Lord
Geoff Lord is an Australian businessman and the current chairman of the Australian football club, Melbourne Victory in the A-League. A well known corporate identity in Melbourne and former president of Hawthorn Football Club , he founded the Belgravia Group in 1990...
(on behalf of the Melbourne Victory) and the Melbourne Rebels bid from the Victorian Rugby Union with backing from media magnate Harold Mitchell with assistance from corporate consultants, including KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
.
On 12 August 2009, the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
endorsed Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
as Australia's sole candidate state for the new licence in the Australian conference in the expanded 2011 Super 15
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition.
They attempted to broker a deal that would consolidate the three bids as a singular entity that they hoped would be "overwhelmingly successful". The Melbourne Rebels bid petitioned the ARU
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
to submit only one of the three bids to SANZAR.
The efforts to amalgamate these bids was fraught with politics. Investment banker John Wylie brokered a tentative agreement between the Melbourne Rebels and the Vic Super 15 that was announced at the 2009 Weary Dunlop Luncheon.
Given that SANZAR could not reach a unanimous decision the matter was sent to arbitration. The arbitrators felt that the Southern Kings
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
' bid was more advanced with regard to business and financial planning and organization structure and governance. They also felt that the Southern Kings also had a stronger player base and rugby tradition. Revenue however, from the sale of broadcasting rights to Australasian broadcasters, would be reduced by US$15–20m over the course of a five year agreement should the 15th team be resident in South Africa.
On 12 November 2009, after an arbitration process between themselves and South Africa's
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
Southern Kings
Southern Kings
The Southern Kings are a South African rugby union franchise. The franchise was formally announced at the opening of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on 16 June 2009, in time to coincide with the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa....
, Victoria was awarded the 15th Super Rugby
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
licence, as it was considered more financially viable to SANZAR. The bid was provisionally offered to the Vicsuper 15 consortium but an agreement could not be reached on the ownership model. They withdrew and the licence went to the Victorian Rugby Union's Melbourne Rebels.
Establishment & management team
The ownership licence was handed to Harold Mitchell's consortium 5 January 2010. The next day the ARU announced restrictions to the signing of current Wallabies and other Australian Super rugby team players.Rod Macqueen was appointed Head Coach, and Director of Coaching, 12 January. Macqueen is former coach or the winning World Cup Wallabies, and is a former Brumbies administrator. Damien Hill, three time Shute Shield
Shute Shield
The Shute Shield is a rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales. It is the premier grade rugby trophy in NSW rugby. The Shute Shield is awarded at the end of the Sydney Club Rugby season to the team that wins the Grand Final...
Sydney University
Sydney University Football Club
Sydney University Football Club, founded in 1863 , is the oldest club now playing rugby union in Australia, and as such is nicknamed "The Birthplace of Australian Rugby" or simply "The Birthplace".The club are the current NSWRU Premiers.The club was a member of the inaugural Sydney club competition...
coach, became Macqueen's assistant. Former Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
CEO Greg Harris was appointed General Manager, Football Operations.
Brian Waldron was initially appointed CEO, but resigned in April after being implicated in salary cap rorting while CEO of the Melbourne Storm (NRL). Auditor were called to examine Waldron's signings to ensure, as Wilson put it, "[Rebels] procedures are in accordance with the [ARU] protocols.
Pat Wilson, a former CEO of the Manly Sea Eagles and NSW Waratahs, and former ARU general manager of high performance became interim CEO in April, until Ross Oakley
Ross Oakley
Ross Oakley is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the VFL. He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels rugby union franchise in September 2010.-Playing career:Oakley attended Wesley College, Melbourne ...
was appointed in September. Oakley is a former AFL CEO and current CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union. Mitchell said he expected the Rebels to retain Wilson in some capacity.
Ownership model
The Melbourne Rebels are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia. The club is run by a board chaired by majority owner, media and communications millionaire Harold Mitchell. The other directors are WoolworthsWoolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
director Leon L'Hullier, entrepreneur Lyndsey Cattermole, former VRU president Gary Gray, Fred Hollows Foundation director Bob Dalziel, Tabcorp former deputy chairman Tony Hodgson, and Tim North SC, the current president of the VRU.
The senior management team is:
Steve Boland, CEO
Durham Kenigsvalds, CFO
Name
The Rebels name was chosen for the Melbourne ARCMelbourne Rebels (ARC)
The Melbourne Rebels were an Australian rugby union football club that competed in the now defunct Australian Rugby Championship in 2007. The team colors were white and blue....
team in consultation with the local rugby community; VRU officials decided on the Rebels name in reference to Victoria's first Wallaby
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop
Edward Dunlop
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, AC, CMG, OBE was an Australian surgeon who was renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.-Early life and family:...
. Chris "Buddha" Handy at the launch, said that "like the great Weary Dunlop, Victorian rugby has a history of daring to be different, a touch of the larrikin
Larrikinism
Larrikinism is the name given to the Australian folk tradition of irreverence, mockery of authority and disregard for rigid norms of propriety. Larrikinism can also be associated with self-deprecating humour.- Etymology :...
, and always having a go. These qualities are what you want in a Rebel and characterise the way Victoria is successfully tackling this historic year." The name was retained for the Super team.
Franchise area
See also: MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Eddie Jones said the Rebels should not have been added to Super Rugby: "The reason they're in is because of TV rights. The current 14-team competition is just starting to find its feet [and the] addition of another Australian franchise is not good for Australian [or Super] rugby ..." Jones went on: "Another Australian side is just going to weaken the third and fourth teams. ... It's unrealistic for Australia to have five teams and it will be bad for Wallaby rugby in the short-term, for the next 10 to 15 years."
Contrary to Jones, Wallabies
Wallabies
A wallaby is the informal name for any of about thirty species of Australian animal.Wallaby may also refer to:* Wallaby ammunition carrier, a variant of the Canadian Ram tank* Wallaby , Japanese fantasy manga...
coach Robbie Deans
Robbie Deans
Robert Maxwell Deans is the current coach of the Wallabies and former All Black. He is the former coach of the Crusaders. He also served as assistant to former All Blacks coach John Mitchell between late 2001 and 2003...
stated the side's vast experience was an asset and predicted the Rebels could be competitive from the outset.
Stadium & Training/Administration Facilities
In 2011 the Rebels will play eight home games at AAMI ParkMelbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field on Olympic Boulevard in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
. Each game is to commence Friday at 7:40pm.
The stadium officially opened 8 May 2010 with a rugby league test between Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
which drew 29,442 spectators. The Rebels share AAMI Park with co-tenants Melbourne Victory (soccer), Melbourne Heart
Melbourne Heart FC
Melbourne Heart FC is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2008, the club has competed in the A-League, the highest division of football in Australia, since its inaugural 2010–2011 season. It is the twelfth club to have played in the league...
(soccer) and Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
(rugby league).
AAMI Park was designed by Cox Architects (Sydney), with input from Waratah and former Wallaby
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
prop Al Baxter
Al Baxter
Al Baxter is an Australian rugby union player. He currently plays for the Waratahs in the Super 14. He played in the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups, but was not selected for the 2011 squad.-Career:...
.
Rebels' training and administration will be based in Carlton North, in specially upgraded facilities at Princes Park stadium, which also hosts the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
.
Logo and colours
The Melbourne Rebels and the Victorian Rugby Union launched the Super Rugby logo and jersey at the Weary Dunlop lunch on 29 July 2010. The logo's five stars represent the Rebel creed:- Respect – yourself and the opposition
- Excellence – highest standards in everything we do
- Balance – sport and life, determination and humility
- Ethos – Team first, 'we, not me'
- Leadership – challenge the status quo.
Players
Under Australian Rugby Union rules, the Rebels may contract up to 10 foreign players. This compensates the Rebels for the ARU's embargo which aims to prevent the Rebels recruiting current players from Australia's four other Super teams.From the outset, Macqueen and his coaching staff have made it clear they will target players who can contribute to club culture in the long term, with an emphasis on preparing players for 'life after rugby'. Both Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Austin Mortlock is an Australian professional rugby union player. He has scored over 1,000 points in Super Rugby, and nearly 500 test points for the Wallabies. Mortlock is a former Wallaby and Brumbies captain, and the current captain of the Melbourne Rebels.-Early life:Mortlock began...
and former Wallaby Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby competition. In 2011 he was one of 10 players nominated to become the competition's Super Rugby player of the year....
commented on the Rebel's commitment to developing "life after rugby" were factors they were considering.
The first signing was London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
fly half Danny Cipriani
Danny Cipriani
Daniel Jerome Cipriani is an English rugby union footballer. He plays fly-half, centre and fullback. He has played for London Wasps and England. He's currently playing his first season of Super Rugby as a member of the inaugural Melbourne Rebels squad.-Biography:Danny Cipriani is mixed-race, his...
initially slated to play at fullback, a position he's played on occasion for the Wasps. Prop Laurie Weeks signed 18 March. Welsh number 8 Gareth Delve
Gareth Delve
Gareth Leon Delve is a Wales international rugby union player. In 2010 he captained Gloucester in the English Guinness Premiership, before moving to Australia where he became vice captain of the Melbourne Rebels. His usual position is number 8...
signed 28 March saying, "The opportunity to test myself alongside the best players in world rugby in a competition I have grown up admiring, was one I couldn't refuse." Stirling Mortlock signed 31 March, in a three year deal for an undisclosed sum.
Jarrod Saffy
Jarrod Saffy
Jarrod Saffy is an Australian professional rugby union player. He played league for St George Illawarra Dragons , before switching to rugby to the train with the Melbourne Rebels in preparation for the 2011 Super Rugby season.-Early career:Saffy moved to Australia as a 15-year-old and continued...
became the first Rebel to 'convert' from rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. The ARU was reluctant to allow the Rebels to sign rugby league players, due to a high number of converts returning to league.
Staff & Coaching Team
Head Coach – Damien HillSenior Assistant Coach – John Muggleton
Assistant Coach – Nathan Grey
Assistant Coach – Matt Cockbain
Coaching Consultant – Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
Performance Analyst – Ben Darwin
Ben Darwin
Ben Darwin is a former Australian rugby union footballer. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship program, he played 28 times for the Wallabies, Australia’s national team, from 2001 to 2003. During this time, Darwin played games against the British and Irish Lions and was part...
Head of Performance - Mark Andrews
Head of Strength and Conditioning – Zane Leonard
Team Doctor – Tracy Peters
Supporter Group
In April 2009, Neville Howard and Gavin Norman created an independent supporter group to grow awareness of the bid at a grassroots level. The group organised via popular social networking tools such as FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. The Facebook page is 'liked' by 4500 fans and 600 Twitter followers.
After the license was awarded to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and subsequently Melbourne, Victoria, the group became the Rebel Army.
2012 Super Rugby Squad
- Players and their allocated positions from the Melbourne Rebels Website as at 9 November 2010.
Pre-season 2011
The Rebels played two pre-season games against TongaTonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
, and one against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, before a facing the Crusaders (New Zealand), a fortnight before round one.
The Rebels won both games against Tonga, 43-13 at Olympic Park and 54-0 at La Trobe City Stadium in Morwell, playing two uncontracted amateur players from Victorian Rugby Union clubs; Chris Slade from the Melbourne Unicorns and Sam Latunipulu Jnr from the Southern Districts Pirates.
Coach Macqueen said, after the contests with Tonga: "We were looking to try a few different things and a lot of them came off, so overall, we were happy with the performance; ... it's not about winning and losing, it's about trialling things under pressure. [We had pressure and] started to see a lot of the team structure, too, a lot of phases of play coming off. ... We are about to enter into one of the toughest competitions in world rugby. If we were playing like we are now, we wouldn't be successful ..."
Super Rugby 2011
The Rebels' inaugural season kicked off on 18 February, with a Round 1 match against the Waratahs (NSW)New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
at home at AAMI Park, in front of over 24,000 people. The Rebels made four changes to the starting 15 to take on the Brumbies on 25 February, in front of over 14,000 people. Huxley moved to inside center (number 12), allowing Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard
Mark Gerrard is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby competition. In 2011 he was one of 10 players nominated to become the competition's Super Rugby player of the year....
to make his debut at full back. Danny Cipriani
Danny Cipriani
Daniel Jerome Cipriani is an English rugby union footballer. He plays fly-half, centre and fullback. He has played for London Wasps and England. He's currently playing his first season of Super Rugby as a member of the inaugural Melbourne Rebels squad.-Biography:Danny Cipriani is mixed-race, his...
and Nick Phipps
Nicholas Phipps (rugby)
Nick Phipps is a national representative rugby union footballer who currently plays for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super 15 competition.-Super 15:...
also took their places in the run-on 15 for their first times. It was Cipriani who scored the first points for the Rebels, with a successful penalty kick in the 15th minute. Captain Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Austin Mortlock is an Australian professional rugby union player. He has scored over 1,000 points in Super Rugby, and nearly 500 test points for the Wallabies. Mortlock is a former Wallaby and Brumbies captain, and the current captain of the Melbourne Rebels.-Early life:Mortlock began...
scored the Rebels' first try with eight minutes to go, to put the team in front 22-19. Shortly after, Brumbies' winger Henry Speight scored a controversial try, off what appeared to be a clear forward pass, and the Brumbies were ahead 24-22. In the final minute of the game, the Brumbies gave away a penalty 37 metres out from the Rebels line, after some push and shove in a Brumbies scrum. Danny Cipriani slotted the penalty, handing Melbourne their debut Super Rugby win, 25 points to 24.
The Rebels won their Round 6 home-game against the Wellington Hurricanes
Hurricanes (Super rugby franchise)
The Hurricanes are a New Zealand professional Rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in the Super Rugby competition...
,
and their Round 7 clash against the Western Force. For Rounds 13 and 14 the Rebels travelled to South Africa for games against the Bulls and the Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
. The Rebels lost 47–10 to the Bulls, yet Bulls' coach Frans Ludeke expressed confidence that the Rebels could experience a rapid rise in Super Rugby.
Post season
The Rebels finished 15th on the overall competition log and last in the Australian conference winning 3 games (eclipsing the Western ForceWestern Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
's 1 win, 2 draws and 10 losses) and falling one log point short of equalling the Central Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
debut season (who won 5 and lost 6) and incurring 24 log points. The franchise announced the morning after their final round loss to the Western Force they had signed a two year deal with James O'Connor
James O'Connor
James O'Connor may refer to:* James O'Connor , American sociologist and economist* James O'Connor , American Roman Catholic bishop in Omaha, Nebraska* James O'Connor , American drummer with the band Godhead...
and Mitch Inman in addition to Kurtley Beale
Kurtley Beale
Kurtley Beale is an Australian representative rugby union player. His primary position is fullback.- Youth :Beale signed to the Waratahs while a 16 year old at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill. Before leaving school Beale captained the Australian Schoolboys and regularly attended training...
from the Waratahs. Rod Macqueen stepped down as head coach to take up a place on the board of directors and was succeeded as head coach by former assistant Damien Hill. There were three retirees from the inaugural squad; Kevin O'Neill, Greg Somerville
Greg Somerville
Greg Mardon Somerville is a New Zealand rugby union player. He is a former All Black and a specialised tighthead prop who can also play loosehead. Somerville made his All Black debut in 2000 against Tonga, a match in which the All Blacks won 102–0...
and Sam Cordingley
Sam Cordingley
Sam Cordingley is an Australian rugby union footballer. He plays for the Melbourne Rebels in the international Super Rugby competition. He was educated at the St Patrick's Marist school, Dundas.-Career:...
while Luke Rooney
Luke Rooney
Luke Rooney is an Australian professional rugby union footballer for RC Toulonnais in the Top 14 competition as of 2012. His previous teams include Melbourne Rebels and the Penrith Panthers.-Rugby League:...
returned to French rugby club Toulon. The Rebels announced a week long post season tour; playing Bath, Worcester and European champions Leinster. At the 2011 Australian Super Rugby Awards Rebels incumbent scrumhalf Nick Phipps won the Australian conference Rookie of the year award.