The Melbourne Rebels have drafted in Reds discard Jake Schatz as cover for Test flanker Sean McMahon, who is expected to miss the first month of the Super Rugby season following ankle surgery.
Cut by Queensland, back-rower Schatz has been signed by the Rebels as immediate cover for McMahon, who initially damaged the joint during last year’s Rugby Championship.
Melbourne have also signed centre Dennis Pili-Gatuia to cover for former Australian Sevens player Pama Fou, who has suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Fou ruptured his ACL at training for the second time in less than a year, ahead of what would have been his first season with the Rebels.
Rebels general manager Baden Stephenson said the experienced pair would add strength to the squad, which was decimated by injury in 2016.
“The inclusion of Jake and Dennis will provide the squad with additional cover and depth as we ramp up our preparations for 2017 with trial matches against the Force and Reds over the next two weeks,” Stephenson said.
Schatz, capped twice by the Wallabies in 2014, brings 86 games of Super Rugby experience to the club after seven seasons with the Queensland Reds.
Pili-Gatuia, a former Blues development squad member and North Harbour player, joins the club after two seasons with the Sydney Rays in the 2015 and 2016 National Rugby Championship.
The Melbourne Rebels play their first trial matches against the Western Force on Feb 6 and Reds on Feb 14, book-ending their appearance in the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens.
Melbourne Storm recruit Marika Koroibete is expected to play in the Tens although he is battling a knee injury.
Their first Super Rugby game is against the Blues at AAMI Park on Thursday 23 February.
Marto
Guest
Yep has been terrible for 3 years..Him Browning and Quirk would let Beau Robinson do all the hit ups cleanouts and they would be bludging on the wing...Browning Quirk Schatz were punted and needed to be....
RubberLegs
Guest
Shatz is a good player; tough and skillul. He injured his knee hitting the ball up into a wall of defenders when the post-Genia Reds halves couldn't work out how to clear the ball from their own quarter; perhaps they never will again. When the backs are sub-standard the hard working loose forwards have to do lot extra. Hodgson is is in a similar position.
Jameswm
Guest
Might be - but i'd still like to see Naivalu at 13. I think he's a very good player. I guess he'd only play wing for Australia (kerevi and Kuridrani ahead of him), so might be better off staying there. He and DHP are set as Wallaby wings in my book, with Morahan backing up the back 3. That's how the season ended for mine. I'd have Naivalu a long way ahead of Speight.
Comrade Bear
Roar Rookie
Yeah agree - but could be a good pickup if Rebels coach Tony M can reverse that 'underperformance'.
Browny
Guest
Geoff and Celtic sound pretty convinved the centre pairing will be Hodge and English which obviously leaves Sefa and Marika on the wings. 10 could very well be JGB with Debreczeni at 15, although equally it could be big Jack at 10 with Placid or even BV at 15. Who knows. Looks like Koroibete, Mafi and Kodama will all be at the Brisbane 10s so that will give us a bit of a look at them.
Jameswm
Guest
Cannot for the life of me work out what word in that post could have triggered the moderation...
Jameswm
Guest
I'd like to see a back 5 of 11. English 12. Hodge 13. Naivalu 14. Koroibete 15. Placid I guess But more likely it'll be Inman at 12 and Hodge at 15. Placid isn't up to the standard of the others right now. No idea how the back 5 in the forwards will shape up. I'd have liked to see a back row of McMahon, Timani and I guess Mafi, though I don't know much about him Fainga'a is good, Leota is 19, Reid is a very respectable player. Still three 7s. Cummins Jeffries Retallick Toolis - don't know much about any of the locks, but at least two of them need to step up. Question marks there and at fly half. Front row is decent, with Weeks, Smith, Hanson, Leafa. Backup props a concern I guess, Metcher, Ah-Nau etc.
Browny
Guest
Happy with the pickups, although I'm still confused why they've added a backrower and a centre. There's no need for cover for McMahon when there's already plenty of loosies in Timani, Reid, Fainga'a, Mafi, Leota and Fox and there's plenty of fit centre candidates in Hodge, English, Inman, Tuipolotu and Naivalu. Add to that the signing of Japanese winger Kodama when we've got Naivalu, Koroibete, English, Placid and even Hodge fit who can all play on the wings... all while locks are in short ssupply with Alex Toolis having neck/back surgery, Jeffries having some kind of clean up surgery and Day injuring his shoulder in the Top 14 a week or so ago leaving Retallick and Cummins as the only 'currently 100% fit' locks. Baffling. Perhaps the logic is that Schatz is good in the air so they'll end up picking a back 5 of Retallick/Cummins-Timani-Schatz-Reid/Fainga'a-Mafi and still have 2 good jumpers (lock & Schatz) plus Timani, Mafi and Reid/Fainga'a for the odd throw. Still not a great move considering the Rebels lineout from last year. But maybe Jeffries and Day will be right for Rd1 and McMahon a few weeks later. Oh well, hope it all pays off. Would be nice to start a season without a significant injury list for once...
Redsfan1
Guest
Long overdue to be cut from the Reds. Has underperformed for years.
Jock Cornet
Guest
Omg