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Rebels set to sign eight?

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:20

The Melbourne Rebels team that will join an expanded Super 15 competition in 2011 will begin to take shape this week with the rumoured announcement of eight players for its inaugural squad.

The Rebels, who to date have only former England flyhalf Danny Cipriani contracted, are now free to begin announcing the acquisition of players who are currently contracted to the four Australian Super 14 franchises after an Australian Rugby Union-imposed ban on their contracting Australian players expired on Monday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that players to be named this week are rumoured to include prop Laurie Weeks, lock Adam Byrnes and scrumhalf Richard Kingi from the Reds, while hooker Adam Freier and Academy wing Peter Betham are, according to some reports, said to have been enticed from the Waratahs.

Former Western Force and Waratahs forward Tim Davidson, former Waratahs utility back Lachlan Mitchell, who is currently at London Wasps, and former Reds and Wallaby scrumhalf half-back Sam Cordingley, who is playing in France will, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, also be named.

Freier, a veteran of 25 Tests and 99 provincial matches with the Waratahs and Brumbies, would be the Rebels highest-profile signing thus far. He has yet to play for the Waratahs this season after off-season back surgery. With fellow Wallaby Tatafu Polota-Nau settled in the number two jersey for the Waratahs, Freier may have been tempted by the guaranteed game time offered by the Rebels.

But in a subsequent denial on Monday, Freier expressed surprise that his name had been revealed as a Rebels key signing. He admitted he had been in talks with the Rebels but said he was still to decide whether to move to Melbourne, stay with the Waratahs or to move abroad.

He was entertaining the thought of joining the Rebels but had nothing from them in writing and said he had not yet been in discussion with the Waratahs about the possibility of extending his contract.

Freier told The Sydney Morning Herald that he appreciated the Waratahs support for him and that he would not sign elsewhere without discussion with them first.

Rebels officials would not comment on the expected influx and Chief Executive Brian Waldron would say only: "We're excited about what's going to unfold in the ensuing days and ensuing weeks."

The Rebels failed to attract big-name players such as Berrick Barnes and David Pocock, and also missed out on signing emerging talent Daniel Halangahu, but they are believed to be still chasing former Rugby League star Mark Gasnier, Brumbies flyhalf or inside centre Christian Lealiifano, who grew up in Melbourne, Welsh international Gareth Delve, former Wallaby captain Sterling Mortlock and utility back Mark Gerrard.

Rebels head coach Rod Macqueen told The Sydney Morning Herald that the core of the squad would be revealed over the coming weeks.

"We're shifting though players with the attributes that we are seeking [and] the next couple of weeks will start to see the nucleus of the team coming together," Macqueen said.

"We didn't expect to get every one we were after, and on the other hand there's been a lot of speculation about players we were after that we actually weren't.

Macqueen added: "There's no doubt that at this stage we're reasonably happy with where we are."

New South Wales Rugby Union chief executive Jim L'Estrange was less than enthusiastic about the speculation about the Rebels list of apparent signings.

He commented that NSW were keen to retain Freier's services and that "a few of those names aren't as close as the Rebels would like you to believe".

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