Melbourne Rebels

RugbyU: Rebels coach hails 'courageous' Beale

Agence France-Presse — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:01:39 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Melbourne Rebels coach Damien Hill praised Wallaby Kurtley Beale Tuesday for his "courageous" decision to seek help for alcohol issues, but would not be drawn on his future at the club.

Beale on Monday decided to stand down from rugby indefinitely to enter a private health facility to undertake counselling, which appears to have ended his chance of playing in the British and Irish Lions series starting in June.

RugbyU: Auckland Blues 36 Melbourne Rebels 32

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:55:37 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Result of a Super 15 rugby match between the Auckland Blues and Melbourne Rebels at Eden Park on Saturday:

Auckland Blues (NZL) 36 Melbourne Rebels (AUS) 32

(H-T: 29-10)

Scorers

Blues - Tries: Frank Halai (3), Francis Saili (2), Rene Ranger. Conversions: Chris Noakes (2), Baden Kerr

Rebels - Tries: Mitch Inman (2), Scott Higginbotham, Lachie Mitchell, Jason Woodward. Conversions: Woodward (2). Penalty: Woodward

Referee: Garratt Williamson

afp

RugbyU: Beale returns to training after suspension

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:31:10 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Wallaby back Kurtley Beale has returned to training with Super 15 side Melbourne Rebels after serving a suspension for punching two team-mates on his side's tour of South Africa.

Beale was suspended indefinitely after punching Cooper Vuna and Rebels captain Gareth Delve following a nightclub outing after Melbourne's 64-7 loss to the Sharks in Durban on March 23.

The 24-year-old has not appeared for the Rebels since breaking his hand in a defeat to the New South Wales Waratahs on March 1.

RugbyU: Australia's Reds seek Super sweep over Kiwis

Agence France-Presse — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:45:21 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The Queensland Reds will strive to extend Australian dominance over New Zealand teams in this season's Super 15 while the Waikato Chiefs take on the Coastal Sharks in a repeat of last year's final.

Australia's Reds, the 2011 champions, host John Kirwan's Auckland Blues in Brisbane on Friday looking to complete a clean sweep over Kiwi opposition, a feat not yet achieved by the team in the professional era.

RugbyU: Lahiff to join Melbourne Rebels

Agence France-Presse — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:01:16 +0000

Agence France-Presse

London Irish prop Max Lahiff has agreed to join Melbourne Rebels at the end of the season.

Lahiff has signed a two-year contract with Melbourne and he will join up with the Australian Super Rugby franchise in June.

The 23-year-old, who qualifies to play for Australia through his father, joined the London Irish academy in 2009 and has made 59 first team appearances.

"Max is a terrific player and a young man with great values," Irish rugby director Brian Smith said.

"He will do well at the Rebels and may go on to play for the Wallabies.

RugbyU: Brumbies, Reds vie for top spot

Agence France-Presse — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 04:15:16 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Super 15 frontrunners ACT Brumbies take on the Queensland Reds and the Coastal Sharks go head to head with the Central Cheetahs on a weekend that could see the lead in all three conferences change hands.

Defending champions Waikato Chiefs, who lead the New Zealand conference, are away to the New South Wales Waratahs and must win to keep at arm's length the Auckland Blues, who automatically receive four points from a weekend bye.

Beale in counselling for at least three more weeks - Rebels

Thomson Reuters — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:01:02 +0000

Thomson Reuters

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Super Rugby strugglers Melbourne Rebels will not have the services of Australia back Kurtley Beale for at least another three weeks as he works through a programme to deal with his alcohol-related issues, the club's incoming CEO has said.

The Rebels, second-last in the 15-team southern hemisphere competition, have two wins from their eight matches as the season approaches the halfway mark, with Beale on the sidelines after being stood down indefinitely for his part in a boozy punch-up with team mates last month.

RugbyU: Rebels coach asked to re-apply for position

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:15:46 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Melbourne Rebels coach Damien Hill has been asked to re-apply for his Super Rugby position with his contract up at the end of the season, the club said on Monday.

Sweeping changes are under way at the struggling Australian Super Rugby club with the resignation on Monday of chief executive Steve Boland and the appointment of retired Rebels scrum-half Sam Cordingley to a newly-created role of rugby general manager.

Boland will finish up at the end of this month after 18 months in the role following his elevation from deputy CEO.

RugbyU: Burgess back to Australia, eligible for World Cup

Agence France-Presse — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:16:47 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Former Wallabies scrum-half Luke Burgess is leaving French club Toulouse for Super 15's Melbourne Rebels, making him available for the next World Cup, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said Monday.

Burgess has penned a two-year deal with the ARU which will take him through to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, and has also signed for the Rebels.

The 29-year-old, who has 37 Test caps, will return home after the conclusion of the Top 14 competition in France where he has been playing for Toulouse since the 2011 World Cup.

RugbyU: Rebels stun Force

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:47:18 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The Melbourne Rebels produced a stunning form reversal to beat the Western Force 30-23 in their Super 15 rugby clash in Perth on Saturday evening.

The Rebels arrived in Perth a rabble, after a horror tour of South Africa. Thrashed 64-7 by the Sharks and 34-16 by the Cheetahs, the Rebels also endured off-field problems with two players sent home early, Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna, after a drunken altercation.

However, they bounced back to notch their second win of the season, both coming against the hapless Force, who paid the price for a slow start.

Australia scrumhalf Phipps to leave Rebels for Waratahs

Thomson Reuters — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 01:30:20 +0000

Thomson Reuters

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia scrumhalf Nick Phipps is to leave the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby franchise and return to Sydney to join the New South Wales Waratahs on a two-year contract next season, both sides said on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Phipps is originally from Sydney but moved south to the Rebels when they began playing in the Super Rugby competition in 2011.

"Nick has played a major part in laying the foundations of this club and it is disappointing to see him leave," Rebels coach Damien Hill said in a statement.

RugbyU: Wallaby half Phipps to leave Rebels for Waratahs

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 00:46:51 +0000

Agence France-Presse

Wallabies scrumhalf Nick Phipps will leave the Melbourne Rebels to join the New South Wales Waratahs for the next two Super 15 seasons, the Waratahs said on Saturday.

Phipps, 24, made his Test debut against Samoa in 2011 and has gone on to earn 12 caps, including starting in eight out of the Wallabies' last nine matches.

"Nick is a good threatening, attacking player," Waratahs coach Michael Cheika said.

"He's a quality player and I think that he's still got a lot of potential to fulfil. That makes for very good competition in the number nine position."

Rugby-Reds win 20-13 as Rebels' second-half woes continue

Thomson Reuters — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:30:12 +0000

Thomson Reuters

MELBOURNE, March 8 (Reuters) - The Queensland Reds ground out a hard-fought 23-13 Super Rugby win over the Melbourne Rebels on Friday to heap more second half woe on their fellow Australians.

Ben Tapuai and Nick Frisby touched down for the visitors, who scored 13 unanswered second half points in Melbourne despite periods of sustained pressure from the home side.

Rugby-O'Connor and Cooper in Wallabies' flyhalf clash

Thomson Reuters — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 04:45:03 +0000

Thomson Reuters

MELBOURNE, March 5 (Reuters) - Australia utility back James O'Connor will battle Quade Cooper in an unofficial audition for the Wallabies flyhalf position ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour when he starts at pivot for the Melbourne Rebels' Super Rugby match on Friday.

O'Connor takes over the Rebels' chief playmaker role from fellow Wallabies back Kurtley Beale, who is sidelined with a broken hand, and will go head-to-head with Queensland Reds flyhalf Cooper at the 'Stockade' in Melbourne.

C.African Republic moves to end rebel occupation of towns

Agence France-Presse — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 20:31:17 +0000

Agence France-Presse

The Central African Republic will on Sunday begin removing rebels from villages and towns they have occupied since December, the commander of the multinational African force FOMAC said Saturday.

Jean-Felix Akaga told a press conference that the operation's aim was to round up rebels and allow civilians to "circulate freely". It would start in the central regions of Bria and Kaga, he said.