Rebels to reveal signings
15 Mar 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the latest Super 14 news from Australia.
Rebels to reveal signings
The Melbourne Rebels are set to announce their latest buys early this week.
England pivot Danny Cipriani is the only confirmed signing thus far but the ARU’s deadline for Australian teams to commit their players expires on Monday.
This will allow the Rebels to legally contract players from other Australian teams who are not committed post 2010. The new Super Rugby franchise have also negotiated deals with overseas-based Australian players and foreigners.
Local players set to sign for the Rebels are Reds prop Laurie Weeks, loose forward Adam Byrnes, scrumhalf Richard Kingi, Waratahs hooker Adam Freier and wing Peter Betham.
Former Force and Waratahs forward Tim Davidson, former Waratahs utility back Lachlan Mitchell and former Reds and Wallabies scrumhalf Sam Cordingley are the overseas-based Australians linked with a return down under.
The Rebels have failed to lure Wallabies such as Berrick Barnes and David Pocock, but Stirling Mortlock, Mark Gerrard, former NRL star Mark Gasnier and Wales international Gareth Delve are reported to be interested.
This thread will be updated throughout the course of the day…
12 Comments
15 Mar 2010, 07:59 am
Rebel Dragons!
15 Mar 2010, 08:00 am
Me first.
Mortlock would surprise me – I reckon he’s a Brumbies man and won’t leave them.
15 Mar 2010, 08:01 am
Dammit, you beat me Jacques.
15 Mar 2010, 08:59 am
Bismarck and Jannie du Plesis are also linked to the Rebels.
15 Mar 2010, 09:46 am
@Spies_Is_King: So to Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie
15 Mar 2010, 10:10 am
Greg Sommerville is another “rumour”. Well past his “Best By date”, but would still do a decent job at scrum time.
15 Mar 2010, 11:21 am
@Spies_Is_King:
Who told you this?
15 Mar 2010, 11:24 am
@Taahirah: Schalk was also rumoured to be interested
15 Mar 2010, 11:55 am
@Storm outta hell: That was just in an online article which asked them for some comment about the new franchise in Australia. There is not really a chance of that happening. They won’t receive all that much money playing to the Rebels, and those three especially will probably head to Europe next year were they can make an absolute financial killing in an easier (despite the weather) rugby environment.
15 Mar 2010, 11:59 am
@WOLFMAN21: Yep…win or loose I expect to see a mass exodus after WC 2011…not so bad for us but maybe bad for NH with so many foreigners playing in their top sides..?
15 Mar 2010, 12:15 pm
@The Analyst: The Aussie commentators said so during the Sharks game last weekend. So the Aussies know something we don’t. But then again, they have been wrong so so so many times before. But they mentioned it, so that’s why I say the brothers du Plesis are linked to the Rebels.
15 Mar 2010, 13:03 pm
Freier and Betham apparently a done deal.
Gerrard much more likely to re-join Brumbies. He is theirs to lose.
Fairbanks another player looking at a return from Japan, with Brumbies and Rebels his main focus.
@OneTime: I’m not sure. He’s done more than his fair service at the Brumbies (since ’98), and has expressed interest at being at the forefront of a brand new team. Plus I think they are offering him a 3yr deal to the Brumbies 1yr offer.
If he did go it would be with my blessing
@The Analyst: Heard the same thing, both on the Aussie Fox Sports website and the Sydney Morning Herald site.
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