- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Melbourne Rebels have signed hooker Nathan Charles for the remainder of the Super Rugby season in an attempt to bolster their forward stocks and rescue their stuttering formline.
The Melbourne-based club, after starting the season by winning four of their first five games, have lost four of their last five to surrender top spot in the Australian conference to the Waratahs.
With the finals fast approaching and a lack of hookers at the club due to an arm injury to Jordan Uelese and under 20s international Sama Malolo becoming unavailable, Charles has been signed from English Premiership club Bath.
Charles has a stack of experience in Super Rugby, having previously represented the Brumbies and Force, while he also made his Wallabies debut 2014 and has four caps to his name.
The hooker departed Super Rugby for England in 2016 after leaving the Western Force.
Charles originally moved from Claremont to Bath to solve an injury crisis at hooker with the 29-year-old’s story a stunning one.
He is believed to be the only person in the world with cystic fibrosis to play any contact sport professionally. Charles was born with the condition which affects a person’s ability to breathe, with constant lung infections a major effect of the disease.
Ahead of his 2014 Wallabies debut, coach Ewen McKenzie said Charles had ‘defied logic.’
“If you look at the symptoms and classic outcomes of cystic fibrosis it’s not a great scenario from a sporting point of view, but he seems to have defied science and defied logic,” said McKenzie at the time.
Rebels general manager of rugby Nick Ryan said he would be a key addition for the club.
“We are fortunate to add an experienced player like Nathan to our squad mid-season and we look forward to him adding depth and competition in our hooking ranks,” said Ryan.
“We have identified our set piece work as an area of improvement. We see Nathan being a great acquisition in support of Anaru (Rangi), and in the absence of Jordan and Sama.”
The Rebels will look to turn their season back on track in their next match when they host the Crusaders in Round 12 on Friday night.