Hyped Rebels recruit Marika Koroibete forced out of Global Tens with knee injury
HYPED code convert Marika Koroibete has been scratched from the Global Tens and will enter his first Super Rugby season without a minute of trial time.
HYPED code convert Marika Koroibete has been scratched from the Brisbane Global Tens and will enter his first Super Rugby season without a minute of trial time.
A lingering knee ligament injury has scuttled plans for the Melbourne Rebels’ star recruit to find his feet in the manic 10-a-side action at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
Rebels coach Tony McGahan said he’d reluctantly made the call on Koroibete to get him fit for Super Rugby’s season-opener against the Blues in Melbourne on February 23.
The former Melbourne Storm NRL finisher had been named in the Rebels squad for the Tens and will still fly to the Gold Coast today as part of a week-long camp.
“Marika is a quick healer but it’s too much of a push and we’ll have to rest him from the Tens and the two trials we‘ve organised for the Gold Coast and Brisbane,” McGahan said.
“It’s a shame because he’d been getting better every day until the whack on the knee at training.
“He will be touch-and-go for the first round.”
The Rebels will still have enormous Fijian sting on the wing through Sefa Naivalu, the quicksilver Wallaby.
EXCITEMENT: 10 great reasons why Global Tens will rock
“This next week is everything you are looking for in the pre-season ... a different environment, two trials and an exciting change-up with the Tens to test skills under pressure,” McGahan said.
The Rebels will blood former Reds No. 8 Jake Schatz and Australian Under-20s fullback Jack Maddocks against the Western Force in a 6.30pm trial tonight at Bond University.
On Tuesday next week, the Rebels will be trial opponents at Ballymore when the Reds roll out big guns Quade Cooper, Stephen Moore, George Smith and Scott Higginbotham.
New Zealand’s Chiefs will utilise their full squad with a Thursday night trial against South Africa’s Bulls at Ballymore.
The early arrival of the Rebels, Force and Chiefs starts the Tens invasion.
More than 300 top players from 14 clubs will train at open sessions this week at clubs around Brisbane, Logan, Caboolture and the Gold Coast.
There are no hometown favours in the Tens draw because the Reds face three tough Pool B opponents in the Blues, Digby Ioane’s Crusaders and the physical Samoans.
Reds coach Nick Stiles is tipping the Tens to be the perfect vehicle for giant winger Eto Nabuli to show off the improvements in his game.
“Eto feels far more comfortable in the team environment this year because he was straight from the NRL and into a new squad of unfamiliar faces last season,” Stiles said.
“I reckon you’ll see a new Eto. He’s talking and joking with the boys, understands our game style and he’s just a big unit (108kg) for anyone to pull down.”
Nabuli got an early look at the handsome Global Tens trophy struck for the tournament winners.
Originally published as Hyped Rebels recruit Marika Koroibete forced out of Global Tens with knee injury