Ben Whittaker
New signing Ben Whittaker will make his first appearance for the Rebels they host the Highlanders in a Super Rugby pre-season outing in Melbourne on Thursday.
Coach Tony McGahan named a 26-man squad for the outing at the Harlequin club.
Whittaker will be joined by Lopeti Timani, who will feature for the first time this pre-season.
McGahan said he was looking forward to the franchise’s second trial game, against strong opposition.
“The Highlanders are a very good team, as shown by their qualification for the Super Rugby finals in 2014 and their strong pre-season results thus far,” McGahan said.
“This fixture is a great way to ramp up our preparations for the 2015 Super Rugby competition, by testing ourselves against quality opponents.”
McGahan shared the enthusiasm bubbling within the Victorian community as the Rebels take a trial game to a Victorian club ground for the first time.
“We are thrilled to be able to utilise the facilities at Harlequin club and take this free Super Rugby trial into the suburbs, and I encourage all Victorian fans to get out and support us; it really means a lot,” he said.
Meanwhile Rebels prop Cruze Ah-Nau has been rewarded for a breakout 2014 Super Rugby season and an outstanding pre-season in Melbourne with a new, two-year contract.
Ah-Nau, who signed his last contract in May 2014, will remain at the Rebels until at least the end of the 2017 season.
McGahan said Ah-Nau was identified as a priority retention target on the back of his Super Rugby performances for the franchise in 2014, and his development during the National Rugby Championship and the franchise’s pre-season to date.
“Cruze’s introduction to Super Rugby last year, playing on either side of the front row, was a challenging experience however he handled the situation extremely well all things considered,” McGahan said.
“His continued development in training, and performance for the Melbourne Rising in the NRC, confirmed his rise in the squad and where he can end up going forward.”
“His attitude is unquestionable, and he has a huge appetite for work and determination to improve; he has been a stand out during our pre-season, and Cruze’s re-commitment is a wonderful result for our franchise.”
For Ah-Nau, extending his stay with the Rebels was a no-brainer for he and fiancee Sophie, and now it allows him to focus on adding to the 11 Super Rugby caps he earned in 2014.
“I’m very excited and happy to stay another couple of years in Melbourne and be around the squad we have,” Ah-Nau said.
“For me and my family, staying here was very important. Our two boys are at school and kindergarten, so they get to stay with their friends; it works out well for everybody. Melbourne is home now, and our plan was always to stay here.”
Melbourne Rebels squad:
Forwards: Cruze Ah-Nau, Paul Alo-Emile, Colby Fainga’a, Scott Fuglistaller, Scott Higginbotham, Sam Jeffries, Luke Jones, Pat Leafa, Sean McMahon, Cadeyrn Neville, Jordy Reid, Toby Smith, Lopeti Timani, Laurie Weeks, Ben Whittaker
Backs: Luke Burgess, Cam Crawford, Mike Harris, Bryce Hegarty, Mitch Inman, Ben Meehan, Sefanaia Naivalu, Jonah Placid, Dom Shipperley, Nic Stirzaker, Telusa Veainu.
Date: Thursday 5 February
Venue: Harlequin club, Melbourne
Kick-Off: 18:30 AEDT (07:30 GMT, 09:30 SA Time, 20:30 NZ Time)
Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Oliver Kellett, Shannon McLachlan (Australia)
rugby365