Melbourne Rebels players have been called to a meeting with Rugby Australia at AAMI Park on Thursday morning as the club’s future hangs in the balance.
The meeting at 10:00am, confirmed by sources who asked not to be named for professional reasons, comes ahead of the team’s last round-robin game in Fiji this weekend and the finals series for Super Rugby. Players will fly to Fiji for the game after the meeting.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh and chair Daniel Herbert are expected to attend the meeting.
The club has been in administration since January this year with debts owed to creditors exceeding $23 million including an $11.5 million debt to the tax office. As a result of the Rebels’ administration, Rugby Australia assumed all payments for the players’ wages and funded the club for the 2023 season. It also stripped the club of its right-to-play licence.
