Under-threat Super Rugby outfit the Melbourne Rebels have appointed Baden Stephenson as chief executive despite the axe hanging above the club.
While either Rebels or the Western Force are set to be wound up by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) at the end of the season, the Melbourne franchise is defiantly pushing ahead with plans for the future.
The club said Stephenson’s appointment was the first of a number of changes and announcements which will be made to position the club for next year’s Super Rugby season.
Stephenson joined the Rebels in 2014 as the Rebels’ general manager of football operations having spent four years with the Sydney University Rugby Club.
It’s the first time the club has had a chief executive since managing director and owner Andrew Cox bought the Rebels in 2015.
Stephenson will now be responsible for the day-to-day management of the club including recruitment and operations.
“Baden was integral to establishing a stable football department after the club’s initial seasons were plagued by significant turnover of players, coaches and administrators so his experience and knowledge of Victorian rugby will be key to our future,” Cox said in a statement.
“After the most challenging year in which the club’s future was negligently brought into question, Baden will be responsible for consolidating our operations and lead the Melbourne Rebels into a new successful era.”
Stephenson said he was honoured to take the job.
“While there is plenty of hard work ahead, the club has some great people and foundations in place and I really look forward to leading the club into the future,” Stephenson said.
The ARU will hold an extraordinary general meeting on June 20 to thrash out the on-going Super Rugby saga which has hung over the game since the announcement one of Australia’s five teams would be cut from the competition from next year.
Last month the Rebels and the ARU ruled out the governing body buying the licence from Cox in a bid to wind up the club.
The Rebels have won just one game for the season and were on the end of a 32-3 drubbing by the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday night.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Browny, I must confess that I am extremely cynical about many things rugby in Australia right now Perhaps I am wrong but unfortunately I doubt it
Rugby101
Guest
TWAS you are working on the assumption that the Force is gone?
scottd
Guest
Coleman (204cm approx 50 SR caps, 3? Tests) Arnold (208cm, approx 7 SR caps) Matwijow (197 cm, 11 SR caps with Reds plus member of ITM cup winners Canterbury and also played for Taranaki) Phillips (199cm, approx 10 SR caps) All become available if Force go out. Plus RHP as a utility 4/5/6 Definitely not all "tall timber" but all relatively young, have good SR experience and Coleman is arguably the best 2nd rower in Australia. Plus others such as Havili (utility lock/back row with a couple of SR caps) and Carmichael (former Scottish under 20's and 198cm) (discounted as on loan from Scottish club and will probably return home if Force cut). I reckon you'd get 4-5 reasonable to excellent 2nd rowers out of that lot TWAS. Whether they stay in Australia or go is immaterial to my point because they will all (except maybe Carmichael) stay if they get the right offer and Rebels are hardly likely to be pushing the salary cap.
Train Without A Station
Guest
No there aren't going to be 4-5 reasonable to excellent 2nd rowers. No Aus team has 4-5 reasonable to excellent players in any position. The timing of this is perfect. They need 2nd towers for 2018. Parling was still available. There's no guarantee that all Force players will choose to stay in Australia.
scottd
Guest
I believe it is a bit off because the very first reason for expanding to five teams was to expand the pathway for local players. Secondly, the ARU gave the ok to issue contracts with the view to tying up local players so that they wouldn't feel compelled to go offshore during this uncertain period. Not to recruiting overseas players so that locals couldn't get a job in Australia. Remember that this guys contract now has to be honoured by the ARU if the Rebels get cut. I don't begrudge the Rebels recruiting whomsoever they like but if they truly believe that the Force is going to be cut instead of them then there are going to be 4-5 reasonable to excellent 2nd rowers available just from that. Add Simmons to the mix (which to be fair they probably didn't know about) and 1-2 upcoming guys (uncontracted 2nd rowers) who will be discovered during the NRC, then I personally feel that they shouldn't be signing overseas players just yet. I totally accept that others disagree with me and can even acknowledge the counter argument but the timing of this does not seem quite right to me given that the ARU is now liable for the contract costs.
Bakkies
Guest
I'm sure I'm correct that the current owner purchased the Rebels off the ARU? If so we don't know the full terms and conditions which have to exist as the ARU has capped the amount of foreign players the owner can purchase to stop him doing what he wanted. 'Employing someone in a vacant position… doesn’t sound very cynical to me… would you describe that as more or less cynical than suing your owner to stop them shutting you down?' Read my post below in regards to this car park appointment.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Simmons would be a good addition for the Rebels. Him and Parling with Jeffries in the 23 and then back up in Cummins and Toolis.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Actually, maybe they can sign Simmons seeing as the Reds just declined to renew his contract... But they need more than that on the lock front. Much more...
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Why is it cynical? Are they supposed to ensure they are completely hopeless next year? How does Hendrik Tui at the Reds add to Australian Rugby stocks? Or George Smith who won't play for the Wallabies? Or Angus Ta'avo at the Waratahs? Or Thomas Cubelli at the Brumbies? Or Peter Grant at the Force? They need an experienced lock. Even if the Force were to fold, the Waratahs will likely already recruit 2 of them with Mumm and Skelton both leaving. George Parling will be a replacement for either Dominic Day, or Cullum Retallick. Neither Aus eligible. If the Force were to fold, one of Coleman, Phillips or Arnold would like replace the other of those two, with Toolis, Jeffries and Cummins all remaining at the Rebels.
Browny
Roar Rookie
I'm a strong five teams advocate. Sometimes when I hear dribble like that my opinion wavers slightly. If it goes to court the Rebels have the upper hand anyway, they don't need to make any cynical moves. Between the Clyne and Pulver 'we always knew' comments and that the ARU have no legal standpoint to cut a licence that they do not own, Melbourne isn't going anywhere. Employing someone in a vacant position... doesn't sound very cynical to me... would you describe that as more or less cynical than suing your owner to stop them shutting you down?
Browny
Roar Rookie
That was probably a "hey! I saw Adam Coleman talking so someone who lives in Melbourne.... therefore he must be signing to play down there!" media assumptions...
Browny
Roar Rookie
And another cynical comment... The Rebels desperately need quality locks. They've signed a guy who will help them improve in that area in the short term. There's two young local kids on the extended list at the moment but they're not ready for SR yet. There's a reasonable number of decent locks (or 5/6s) in Australia right now... Coleman, the Arnold brothers, Carter, Tui, Simmons, RHP, Staniforth, Enever, Hanigan, Simmons, Douglas, Neville, Matijow, Phillip, Skelton etc, not to mention a couple of handy ones who left the Rebels to get paid overseas in Luke Jones and Hugh Pyle. After those guys you're basically taking a punt on kids out of club rugby, which I'm not sure if you've noticed but the Rebels have been doing. They've played some 39 or 40 players this year, not including the guys who got injured before the season started (Dom Shipperley, Alex Toolis, Harley Fox, Sam Jeffries, Pama Fou, Rob Leota) meaning they've really gone outside of the 35 full time contracted players. The ARU didn't really have a choice. If they didn't lift the contract moratorium and the Rebels were unable to sign a full squad for next year they'd sue the ARU for (more) damages.
piru
Roar Rookie
Rumour last week was that they'd signed Coleman, then he came out and said it wasn't so. Who even knows
scottd
Guest
Not cynical of me at all. I see this as just another move in jockeying for position in case this ends up in court. By filling this role that the Managing Director has historically fulfilled they avoid any claim that they were not certain of continuing in business. This just shores up their position. As I said, it is cynical of them.
scottd
Guest
and now this https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-union/rebels-sign-former-england-lock-for-2018-ng-s-1733819 Another cynical move. I don't see how this appointment adds to Australian rugby stocks. Surely they could have sourced an Australia guy in this role? Given the circumstances I am certain that the ARU didn't intend this to happen when they gave the go ahead to recruit.
Browny
Roar Rookie
That's a pretty cynical opinion... what are they meant to do, just lie down and wave the white flag? No chance.
Bakkies
Guest
'The insatiable Melbourne heavy weights will at the very least ensure they maintain a Union presence by pressing a case to subsume the Canberra brand. The fickle and feckless ARU will succumb to their influential corporate pressure. The VRU have long coveted the Brumbies.' Nonsense the Rebels and the VRU can't organise a root in a whorehouse. They also can't subsume something that they will never own. I wouldn't read much in to this at all. They have filled a position that has been inexplicably left vacant from their own internal car park. If they were that certain in staying they would have hired a proper CEO to make tough decisions that they desperately need not a inside 'yes' man. Stephenson is a former ACT rep it's high time the Rebels stop riding the coat tails of the Brumbies, hire their own people and create a proper culture.
Republican
Guest
..........concur. The Brumbies are not out of the woods by any means. The insatiable Melbourne heavy weights will at the very least ensure they maintain a Union presence by pressing a case to subsume the Canberra brand. The fickle and feckless ARU will succumb to their influential corporate pressure. The VRU have long coveted the Brumbies. Good for Melbourne but bad for Canberra, since the code will cease to sustain support here........
Celtic334
Guest
I think it's safe to say there's an extremely high chance of the Rebels being around next year.
Bakkies
Guest
'It’s the first time the club has had a chief executive since managing director and owner Andrew Cox bought the Rebels in 2015.' Wtf no wonder they are a shambles.