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Kevin Foote paints a grim picture of Rebels' future after redundancies

Rob Leota and Kevin Foote of the Rebels pose for media day. Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Coach Kevin Foote has painted a grim picture of the embattled Melbourne Rebels, who look set to enter this Super Rugby Pacific season as dead men walking.

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After the Rebels entered voluntary administration earlier this month with debts of around $20 million, Rugby Australia is still to make a decision on the outfit’s future.

But it appears increasingly dire with administrators PricewaterhouseCooper cutting 10 staff including chief executive Baden Stephenson, who had been with Melbourne for 10 years.

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While the players’ contracts for 2024 are guaranteed, Rugby Australia (RA) re-contracted the high-performance staff, including Foote, only on four-month deals.

Having signed two-year deals late last year, Foote revealed one coach had just started a home renovation while another couldn’t tell his son about the prospect of the side folding because the child would worry about his dad and family.

Even with the axe hanging over their head, Foote had hoped to carry on as “business as usual” but the loss of Stephenson has hit home.

“We were told things would remain as they are for the 2024 season and then to see Baden walk out of the building was very hard-hitting,” Foote told AAP.

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“He’s such a good man and he does so much for us so that was hard, and then with the rest of the staff as well but that’s the reality that we’re in.

“I’m very grateful they kept the high-performance staff together so that we can put a good product up, but when you sign those four-month contracts you also know that it’s pretty real.”

RA boss Phil Waugh, who addressed Rebels staff in Melbourne on Thursday morning, told AAP that the redundancies didn’t signal the club would definitely be axed.

“There’s no correlation – we’ve maintained over 80 per cent of staff, so it’s not like it’s been reduced to skeleton staff,” Waugh said.

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“We’ve kept on all the high-performance staff to ensure that we can deliver the season effectively and create the right environment for our athletes.”

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Waugh said he didn’t have a “clear picture” of when the call would be made but acknowledged that players and staff needed certainty as soon as possible.

Promising young flanker Josh Kemeny, who made his Wallabies Test debut during the World Cup, has already signed with UK club Northampton.

“I don’t have an exact timeline, just because there’s so many different stakeholders and we need to ensure that we’re making sensible high-performance and economic decisions,” Waugh said.

“We’re certainly trying to accelerate at an appropriate speed.”

The Rebels face Fijian Drua in their final pre-season match on Friday and then host the ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park in round one next Friday night with ticket sales set to finally go on sale for that match.

Foote named nine Test players, including former Queensland Reds trio Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu, in likely the strongest line-up in his time as head coach; an irony not lost on him.

He said the staff and the players had to focus on the games, not the future.

“We can’t get too animated and then all of a sudden fall into a hole,” Foote said.

“If we start panicking now, it’s not going to help us perform.

“So the mantra is ‘the better we do, the better everyone will do’.

“Right now it’s about this year, the 2024 season, and we’re going to have to continually make sure that our emotions are in check so that we can maintain it through the season, because it’s a brilliant squad.”

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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