Rugby Australia to help run debt-affected Melbourne Rebels for Super Pacific season

Rugby Australia said yesterday it is working with the debt-affected Melbourne Rebels to ensure they field a team in this year’s Super Rugby Pacific competition.

The Rebels formally entered voluntary administration on Monday night, with the season set to get underway in less than a month. The national governing body said it remains committed to rugby in Victoria state.

In a statement, Rugby Australia said it will focus on a “viable professional rugby footprint in Melbourne that can be sustainable and commercially successful in the future.”

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said his head office will work with the appointed administrator to ensure Melbourne teams play in this year’s men’s and women’s Super competitions.

“RA is committed to ensuring the Melbourne Rebels play in the 2024 Super Rugby competitions, and we will support their preparation for the new season,” Waugh said in the statement. “We are determined to ensure that RA is making responsible decisions for a sustainable and successful future — we will work with the Rebels and the relevant stakeholders to that end.”

Super Rugby Pacific’s Super Round, set to take place on March 1-3 at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, will not be impacted by the Rebels’ struggles. Waugh said the Victorian government would be involved in talks over the future of the club, which is believed to be 9 million Australian dollars ($5.9 million) in debt.

The state government previously bailed out the Rebels in 2017, reaching an agreement with Rugby Australia that involved hosting rights for the Bledisloe Cup and British and Irish Lions test matches in Melbourne.

Rebels coach Kevin Foote, who was an assistant at the Perth-based Western Force when they were cut from the league, said the current situation would help bring the team together.

“The first thing we spoke about was controlling what we can control,” Foote said after a meeting with the players. “If anything this is made the players very determined — I lived through this in Perth and I can tell you this will galvanize the team.” MDT/AP