Rebels aim high without Captain Coleman
INJURY UPDATE: The Rebels’ Super Rugby fixture against Waratahs just got more challenging as captain Adam Coleman joins scrumhalf Will Genia on the sidelines.
Following the Wallabies Test series against Ireland, the Rebels will be without captain Adam Coleman, who injured his abductor muscle in the third Test and playmaker Will Genia who sustained an arm injury in the second Test.
Sitting only one point behind the Waratahs in the Australian Conference of the Super Rugby competition, a win will see the Rebels reclaim the top spot for the first time since Round 9.
And with only three rounds left in the regular season, a victory could set up the Rebels for their first playoff appearance in the club’s history.
Despite the duo’s absence the coach Dave Wessels has backed his side depth and sees the Waratahs game as another challenge for his team to face and conquer.
“I think a big thing for us is that at different times during the season we’ve had different challenges,” Wessels said.
“I’m proud of the fact we’ve faced different challenges…and we’ve grown as a team to meet some of those.
“Friday is just another opportunity to play in a big game for the club and do what we’ve tried to do all season – reward all the people who have stood by us,”
Furthermore, Wessels buoyed heading into the club’s biggest game of the season especially with the experiences of scrumhalf Michael Ruru, who has started the last three Super Rugby matches after Genia has to nurse a hamstring.
“Mikey’s…playing really well for us,” he said.
“We’ve won three on the trot with Mikey and if you include the Force game, four on the trot.
“He’s come into his own and playing with a lot of confidence. He’s obviously pretty physical…which is sometimes in a big game what you need.
“You want to play in the big games… [and] we’ve got a lot of experienced players in our group. They’re used to playing in those types of contests.
“We are going to give it a full go, that’s for sure,”
Meanwhile, prop Pone Fa’amausili has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2020.
A tall, powerful ball-runner, Fa’amausili made his debut in the National Rugby Championship for the Melbourne Rising last season, before being signed as a supplementary squad player for the 2018 Super Rugby season.
“Melbourne is home for me and I’m really excited to be a part of what Dave [Wessels] and the Rebels are creating,” Fa’amausili said.
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