News Now: How Super Rugby may change if the beneficial player dies

How Super Rugby may change if the beneficial player dies

In his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway included a phrase that is frequently seen online that sums up the narrative of the recent death of the Melbourne Rebels.

One asks a character how he ended up bankrupt. “In two ways,” he responds. “Slowly at first, and then abruptly.”

The Rebels have struggled financially since they first joined the league in 2011, but reports of an outstanding tax obligation and a list of creditors late last year revealed the true scope of their issues.

The extent of the debt was quickly made public after the Rebels entered voluntary administration in January. Almost $21 million was owed to 47 distinct parties, including the Australian Tax Office, the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust, Rebels directors, and a variety of suppliers and contractors who had their own mortgages to pay.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, the administrators, laid off all non-playing employees this week, and Rugby Australia, which had regained the Super Rugby license, rehired coaches and other staff members for four-month terms to last until the 2024 season.

Although Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh claims no decisions have been made about the club’s future, the news made it abundantly evident that the Rebels are in critical condition and are on life support.

Will the Rebels from Melbourne make it?
Upon the conclusion of the Super Rugby season in June, all indications are that the Rebels will permanently close. The Rebels want a long-term financial supporter—someone who can write a $21 million check—in order to remain competitive. There aren’t any white knights approaching.