The Melbourne Rising presented themselves to the Victorian community rugby on Wednesday night.
The event was hosted in the premises of Harlequins Rugby Club, where the NRC team will train all the season long and the first 6 weeks of pre-training has been held so far.
Victorian Rugby Union director and Melbourne Rebels GM of Community Rugby Peter Leahy, was the first to address the public made up from VRU clubs officials, Victorian Rugby Referee Association members and Melbourne Rising team members.
As often happens in the NRC teams presentation, Leahy praised the founding of the new national competition which “creates a clear pathway for young players from School Rugby up to the Wallabies”. He was proud to mention that “Victorian rugby in the last 12 years has produced 23 national level players, in contrast with the seven in the twenty years before”.
Melbourne Rebels’ Rugby Operation Manager Baden Stephenson, who was involved in the first attempt to build a national competition in 2012 in Sydney, focused his speech on the community and clubs involvement.
He pointed out that: “the Rising are pursuing a family oriented pricing, kids under 12 will be allowed for free at AAMI Park”, Stephenson also added that: “the games will be played in very family friendly times” and he was also very complimentary of the support of all Dewar Shield clubs and especially of Harlequins’ the host of the night.
MC Pete Fairbairn then had a Q&A session with Head Coach Sean Hedger and with Prop Cruze Ah Nau. The coach was very pleased with the spirit of all players involved: “they all showed a big deal of enthusiasm, from the initial 40 Dewar Shield selected as Rising prospects we choose 16 of them to be part of the team, during 6 weeks of training and skills assessment”. Hedger has opted for a mix of experience and youth in his group: ”youth and enthusiasm are not the only keys to success.”
The coach praised also the ease of the club and Rebels’ players to mix and form a group already close.
The new Melbourne Rising jersey
Questioned about the style of play he will give to his team, without going into details Hedger mentioned that: “the block of Rebels’ players will facilitate the use of pre-existing schemes” – he added that – “the new rules are intended to provide less stoppages and more speed to the game, this will suit our style of game”.
Cruze Ah Nau, who plays with Footscray when not on Rebel’s duty, added: “I’m glad to have several team mates around me” and “I’m looking forward to the new competition”.
Full 2014 Melbourne Rising squad:
- Scott Higginbotham (Back rower, Harlequin/Melbourne Rebels)* Allocated Wallaby
- Luke Jones (Lock, Moorabbin/Melbourne Rebels)* Allocated Wallaby
- Cruze Ah-Nau (Prop, Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)
- Paul Alo-Emile (Prop, Power House/Melbourne Rebels)
- Frank Amituanai (Lock, Footscray)
- Greg Bauer (Hooker, Box Hill)
- Jack Debreczeni (Flyhalf, Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)
- Tom English (Wing, Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
- Angus Hamilton (Lock, Harlequin)
- Shane Imo (Flyhalf, Footscray)
- Mitch Inman (Centre, Southern Districts/Melbourne Rebels)
- Sam Jeffries (Lock, Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
- Lloyd Johansson (Centre, Harlequin)
- Joe Kamana (Wing, Moorabbin)
- Rennie Lautolo-Molimau (Fullback, Endeavour Hills)
- Pat Leafa (Hooker, Box Hill/Melbourne Rebels)
- Sean McMahon (Back rower, Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)
- Sefanaia Naivalu (Centre, Box Hill)
- Martin Naufahu (Flyhalf, Foostcray/Melbourne Rebels)
- Cadeyrn Neville (Lock, Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)
- OJ Noa (Back rower, Harlequin)
- Junior Paila (Scrumhalf, Endeavour Hills)
- Reuben Rolleston (Back rower, Endeavour Hills)
- Fereti Sa’aga (Prop, Melbourne Uni)
- Tom Sexton (Hooker, Power House/Melbourne Rebels)
- Pom Simona (Back rower, Harlequin)
- Finbar Simpson (Prop, Melbourne)
- Toby Smith (Prop, Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
- Nic Stirzaker (Scrumhalf, Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)
- Sione Taufa (Back rower, Harlequin/Melbourne Rebels)
- Lopeti Timani (Back rower, Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)
- Tui Tuiatua (Prop, Moorabbin)
- Telusa Veainu (Wing, Melbourne/Melbourne Rebels)
The supporters of the weakest conference will take this opportunity to weed and cut the lawn, kick the cat, make babies and psych themselves up for the Curry pot cup!
While the other two conferences get prepared for the super rugby final!
😛
Yup. You may be right.
Maybe time for the “owners” of the “weakest conference” to look elsewhere to play and so not dilute the standards of the two conferences participating in the SR final?
Somewhere where the “opposition” is not so tough, and the fellow participants are financially able to contibute on an even footing?
Those two conferences left can then invite those masters of the 15 man code from Islands to join them, and they can all bask in their self appointed bliss.
Just make sure none of the players bend over. The rest of the world would hate to be blinded by the sun shining from any ANZAC ass.
@ Scrumdown:
nah disagree, we should kowtow to the weakest conferences demands and include another team from that country,
😀
Im sure the one competitive team will relish the opportunity to become the first placed team going into the semi finals by having another mediocre side to score ten competition points from
4 @ nga puhi:
It was all abit tongue in cheek.
The truth is the current system is a horses ass that CAN reward mediaocrity.
SA doesn’t deserve 5 teams, and IMO it’s debateable whether we deserve 4.
I’m all for expanding Rugby Union’s footprint, but in the right way.
Split the competition into a League 1 and 1 based on historical performance.
Automatic promotion for the league 2 winners, and relegation for the league 1 wooden spoonists.
The runners up i league 2 can play a promotion / relegation series against second last in league 1.
The “champions” can be decided al la Aviva, with the top 4 making up the semi’s.
FFS, continually watering down the standards does F-All for the advancement of the sport, and bringing in the Argies, and a “league of Nations” from Singapore, or a team of dubious credentials from Japan will no NOTHING to increase attendances OR grow the game.
Strength v Strength the only way to go, nd the only way to empower the weak teams to develop and grow.
(Climbs off soapbox and looks forward to playing golf on Saturday morning, as he has done for the past 13 years of Super Rugby play-off weekends.)
Scrumdown wrote:
AAAAGH. Come back Puma. All is forgiven.
Typo’s, typo’s typo’s.
My typing is nearly as bad as my putting.
@ Scrumdown:
Great posts, both #3 and #5, poetic stuff from our Carnarvon representative, most enjoyable reading, keep’em coming bru!
@ Wallabie:
It is alive!
Wow! What took you so long, the
@8…..sorry Puma, on the phone here…
Hell, I messed up that one, now I have forgotten what I wanted to say to Walla…. someting abusive, that much I can recall!
@ Scrumdown:
mine was all tongue in cheek too Scrummie, guess fresh bait always works the best
I agree with a lot of your post actually, which concerns me, what would a Leeus fan know about rugby
@ Scrumdown:
“The truth is the current system is a horses ass that CAN reward mediaocrity.”
Careful with the ‘horse assing’, Brumbies Boy won’t take kindly to that
@ nga puhi:
Hoyta little brother, whatsup their by you in the ‘Tah slum by the sea’!
Big one tomorrow, let’s watch in objectivity, our teams being benched and all…
@ Pietman: kia ora, hoe gaan dit? all good in this neck of the woods boet, really looking forward to watching the game tomorrow, hoping its a cracker.
Saders to edge it in my totally unbiased kiwi opinion
nga puhi wrote:
My feeling too.
But as you said, WTF does a Lions’ supporter know about Rugby?
@ Scrumdown:
hehehe well they did get King Carlos as a coach for a while, so the juries still out imho
but you must understand my trepidation
15 @ nga puhi:
I’ve always contested that I know a little bit about lots, and not much else!
Hell I even know that the Lions (TVL) won the FIRST Super Rugby title back when even I was aware that “crouch, pause, touch, engage” was a crockof sh1t!
(Waiting eagerly for the arguements that it wasn’t real Super Rugby back then!)
@ Scrumdown:
must be harsh having to go back to 1993 though huh bro? thats two decades ago boet.
I only have to remember back just over one decade ago lol
17 @ nga puhi:
Hmmmm, 1993 is soooo long ago, as opposed to 1996, 1997 and 2003 when your Blues last won which feels like yesterday.
nortierd wrote:
lol, I appreciate that your command of the English language may be difficult, but if one would turn their attention to the very last sentence of the post in question, one would see the error of the post this responds too.
let me help you though.
one decade < (this little symbol means "less than") two decades
I do hope this has explained it in simple terms for you
19 @ nga puhi:
What’s a decade between friends?
nortierd wrote:
Absolutely nothing!
Lions now rebuilding for nearly a decade and a half, and we, the loyal supporters with red blood (strue I tell you) haven’t fallen out (completely) with the GLRU / Lions Rugby (PTY) LTD.
We do however live in constant hope. Let’s hope we don’t all die waiting!
nga puhi wrote:
21 years and 71 days (including today) to be exact, but who’s really counting? (Certainly not Louis Luyt)
@ Pietman:
Lol. Thought i would get Friday rolling!
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