Rugby Union - by Craig Hill

like the great Weary Dunlop, Victorian rugby has a history of daring to be different, a touch of the larrikin, and always having a go. These qualities are what you want in a Rebel and characterize the way Victoria is successfully tackling this historic year.

A new band of rebels has landed in Melbourne to plan their assault on the inaugural Mazda Australian Rugby Championship.

The Melbourne Rebels will include a mix of club rugby and Super 14 players from north of the border, who will live and train in Melbourne over the next three-months.

The Rebels line-up is dominated by youth, led by Wallabies flyer Digby Ioane while Rebels captain David Croft and former Wallabies backrower Matt Cockbain will provide valuable experience up front.

The Rebels can be expected to play a fan-friendly brand of Rugby as they look to outgun opponents with speed and skill.

But while confident his team can be competitive, Cockbain understands the challenge the Mazda ARC will present for the young Rebels line-up.
"It's going to be tough for us, we've sort of pulled guys from every where but we're hopeful we'll do well but at the end of the day we just want to try and play the positive rugby and get the name started and work it from there," Cockbain said.

"I think we're trying to go for a fairly mobile type of play, I think with the new rules coming in that'll dictate a bit of how we're going to play the game."
"We got players that can play that type of game so in general with Bill being a Sevens coach I think we want to try and move the ball."
"A lot of coaches say that and don't do it but for us, we haven't got a massive forward pack so we'll probably rely on our mobility a bit more," he said.