Australian Sevens stars Lewis Holland and Lachie Anderson have today been unveiled as the latest Melbourne Rebels signings ahead of the Vodafone Super Rugby AU competition.
The pair join fellow Australian Sevens representative Jeral Skelton, who arrived at the Stockade last week.With COVID-19 having hampered the Sevens World Rugby Series and the, 2020 Olympics which Australia had already qualified for, the Australian sevens representatives have been presented with a rare opportunity to jump into the Super Rugby arena.
“Obviously the COVID-19 scenario has unfolded and with international travel not being an option, I was looking to a new experience and play some XV’s,” admitted former Australian Sevens captain Lewis Holland.
“I thought if I could go somewhere and play some XV’s, that would be of interest to me and something I would be pretty excited about. So, when this opportunity at the Rebels came up, I’d have been silly not to come down here and experience something different and give Super Rugby a go.
“It’s only my second time ever in Melbourne but if you’re going to go in the deep end (and change to XV’s), you may as well go in the deep ends at all ends.”
Formerly a centre in XV’s, Holland’s arrival at the Stockade will be made a little less daunting by the fact he is surrounded by plenty of familiar faces.
“One of the other boys, Lachie (Anderson) is down here as well and I know a few of the other boys as well.
“Obviously Wellsy (Michael Wells) and Boyd (Killingworth) are the newer guys to have come out of sevens, but then you’ve got Meakesy (Bill Meakes) and Tommy English who had a go at Sevens back in the day, so I’ve had a run around with those guys.”
Adding further excitement to the Rebels playing mix is 22-year-old Lachlan Anderson.
“I got chatting with Dave (Wessels) a few weeks ago and he floated the idea of coming down and having a run and getting some footy in during this revised Super Rugby competition,” stated Anderson.
Formally a flanker, Anderson looks set to be competing for a starting spot alongside new recruit Holland after suggesting that his future may lay in the backs.
“Coming from Sevens, it’s probably an easier transition to play in the backline and speaking with Dave, it’s probably where he sees me so I’m pretty excited to play wherever suits the team.
“Sevens is a fast-moving game and you’ve got to be able to make decisions on the run and have good instincts, so hopefully having that as my background will make the transition all the more easier.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Rebels Assistant Coach and former South African Sevens captain Kevin Foote, who believes the proposed rule changes designed to speed up Super Rugby AU will play into the hands of the new recruits.
“They’ll be use to that (fast) tempo,” noted Foote.
“They’re not used to long breaks at all so they’ll recover very quickly and I think they’ll benefit from that. I think also the intensity of Sevens, you can make one mistake and it’ll slip away from you, so they’ll bring plenty of focus and intensity to our setup.
“The amount of contact in XV’s can shock guys initially, but given the frames of Jeral, Lewis and Lachie, they’re all well-conditioned so they’ll come up to speed pretty quickly.”
Fellow Sevens recruit Jeral Skelton, who arrived in Melbourne last week, is already feeling at home in the Rebels clubhouse.
“So far, it’s been a great few days – the boys have really welcomed me into the program, but I’m learning every day and everyone’s supportive, so that really helps,” said Skelton.
“I had quite a few offers from the NRL but my goal after Sevens was to come to XVs and play Super Rugby.
“Training wise it’s been a little bit different – getting used to how I play as a forward, having been so used to playing as a back in the Sevens.”
