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Melbourne Rebels on the rugby march
March 29, 2007 - 5:08pm
Story by: ARU
The Melbourne Rebels will be the Victorian team in the new Australian Rugby Championship.
Wallaby legend and “rugby rebel”, “Buddha” Handy launched the team’s name and new jersey at the VRU’s Weary Dunlop Rugby lunch at Crown’s Palladium attended by over 450 enthusiastic Victorian rugby supporters.
Buddha said, “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 characterize the way Victoria is successfully tackling this historic year”.
World Cup winning coach, Rod Macqueen, was also at the launch adding his support. “The way that Victorian rugby has strategically approached this enormous challenge gives me great confidence in the contribution that Victoria is going to swiftly and increasingly make to Australian rugby.”
Rebel’s coach, Bill Millard, a successful premier rugby and Australian Sevens coach presented the team’s first player signings, Luke Burgess, Peter Owens and David Haigh.
World Cup winning Wallaby, Matt Cockbain, was the VRU’s guest at the launch and is in discussions to play a leadership and playing role with the new team. “When the Victorian Rugby Union approached me to be part of something fresh and new, it was too good an opportunity not to consider.”
Cockbain has been in training and working with the Reds as line out coach. “I’m really looking forward to helping the next generation of Wallabies establish their credentials and at the same time really put rugby on the map in Victoria”.
The Melbourne Rebels first game is in Canberra on August 11 and the first home game is against Queensland’s East Coast Aces on August 18 – a rebel-red letter day for rugby.
Burgs:
Just waiting for an announcement from Canberra now to finish the list.
It has been assumed they will be called the Viking however they may surprise.
When all the info is in I will do up an info page to make it all clear.