It wasn’t a great day at the office for the staff and players of the Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union club yesterday… They’ve been told that the club will be disbanded after 14 years – meaning they won’t be part of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season. The decision to call time on the Rebels – which has been in administration since January with debts of more than $23 million – was made by Rugby Australia. Competition officials vetoed a plan for a consortium of investors to rescue the Rebels, saying “the application did not demonstrate sufficient financial viability” – and the leader of the consortium is now threatening legal action. But despite the off-field drama, the team is currently sitting seventh on the ladder out of 12 teams with one regular season game to play. That means the Rebels are due to play in its first finals campaign next month, and the team’s pledged to “fight to the very end”.