James O’Connor
After months of speculation, James O’Connor will join Kurtley Beale at the Rebels in 2012. Now, being a supporter of all things Green and Gold, this really shouldn’t be of any interest, but the reality is that the Rebels are the best thing that has happened to rugby in a long time.
Locally, the Sharks and to a lesser extent, the Stormers, have been the only franchises willing to bring in international players. The likes of Tony Brown, Thierry Lacroix, and Fred Michalak have all made a huge difference to the Sharks in recent years. Why shouldn’t other South African franchises do the same and bring in some foreign players?
Beale and O’Connor join a backline full of other big names, including foreign players – Phipps, Cipriani, Mortlock, and Gerrard.
So will the Rebels suffer the tag of being the Real Madrid of Super Rugby?
In 2010 the Brumbies successfully lured Matt Giteau and Rocky Elsom back to Canberra. The Brumbies had a host of nationally contracted players on their books and were fittingly dubbed the Real Madrid of rugby at the time.
When the dust settled on the 2010 Super 14 season, the Real Madrid of Super Rugby had finished 6th on the table, missing out on the final, with the Bulls going on to be crowned champions.
For the Rebels in 2012, the yardstick would be a big improvement on winning the dreaded wooden spoon.
To keep things in perspective though, the Rebels exceeded all expectations in 2011, obtaining three wins against decent opposition and many a pundit out there saw them as a side that could beat anyone on their day.
By their own standards, the players would admittedly be disappointed with some performances, missed tackles, wasted opportunities and so on. Especially for a team who highly respect their fans and are in turn respected by their fans.
Moving forward a season, the Rebels can expect greater expectation from their fans, which is understandable, seeing as they have possibly the biggest support group in their conference.
This brings us to the million dollar question, at the start of every season: what is an acceptable pass mark for the Rebels?
In season 2011, it was simply being competitive, which was lacking at times. The Rebels of 2012 will be a more rounded side, 2011 was their year to learn and 2012 should be the time that they start applying this knowledge. They will get better and one of the major reasons will be down to the mix of local and international players that they will have in their squad.
Ideally the Rebels should get the four points against some of its Australian rivals (Brumbies and Force) and the lesser performing sides from 2011 (Chiefs, Lions and Cheetahs). The best indication of improvement would be to claim victories against teams that were pushed at times in 2011, such as the Sharks, Waratahs and the Reds.
As I alluded to earlier, Beale and O’Connor are expected to be in the starting XV, with Phipps, Mortlock and Gerrard potential inclusions. Cipriani is also a liklihood, provided Martin Johnson and Danny Boy can put their differences aside.
Unfortunately, the Rugby world will have to wait seven or eight months to truly see if the Rebels of 2011 will revel or suffer in their role as the Real Madrid of Super Rugby in 2012. Let’s hope that the South African franchises starting thinking out the box a little, and try lure some big name players to our shores.
