Rebels plan revealed: RA makes call on whether fans can watch Brumbies opener

Concern and confusion has been bubbling away in Canberra over the past fortnight as fans wondered whether they will be able to see their team in action in the first round of the season.

The Brumbies will open their campaign against the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday February 23.

A late relocation was off the table, with Canberra Stadium hosting a Matchbox Twenty concert next weekend.

With the Melbourne Rebels falling into voluntary administration, RA has taken over the running of the organisation to guarantee the team's future for the 2024 Super Rugby competition.

Ticket sales, however, have been put on hold for all Rebels home games while officials wade through $20 million of debt, including $1.1 million in lease payments and hiring fees to the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust, the operator of AAMI Park.

RA officials are in the process of negotiating a new venue agreement with stadium authorities, with the discussions in their final stages.

It is hoped the deal will be finalised by the end of the week, with ticket sales for next Friday's game to commence soon after.

The presence of fans will ease fears of a return to COVID-era empty stadiums, but a small crowd is still expected.

The last-minute nature of the process is likely to limit crowd numbers, however there is hope the Melbourne community will get behind the team and turn out in force.

The Brumbies are on red alert as they prepare to travel to Melbourne for the clash, with the side ready for a Rebels ambush.

"It's seriously unfortunate for them, but we've got to go down there and try start our campaign off well," stand-in skipper Ryan Lonergan said. "They're going to be a great team this year, no matter what's going on off the field so we're going to be ready for that."

It has been a challenging couple of days for the Rebels, with RA confirming multiple staff have been made redundant, including chief executive Baden Stephenson.

The majority of employees, including all high-performance staff, have been offered short-term contracts through to the end of June.

Documents have shown the Rebels had only $17,300 in the bank, while auditors have revealed the club owes $11.6 million to the Australian Taxation Office, $5.7 million to board members, $2.8 million to suppliers, $720,000 owed to the State Revenue Office and $250,000 in superannuation owed to employees.

"RA continues to engage with the administrator, government and various relevant stakeholders on the future of the Rebels beyond this season," a Rugby Australia spokesperson said.

"It is expected that a decision on that future will be made before the end of Super Rugby Pacific, and therefore before the conclusion of staff contracts."

Super Rugby chairman Kevin Malloy hinted on Wednesday at the 2024 season launch that officials will accelerate a planned review of the competition structure should the Rebels fold.

With the current broadcast rights deal ending next year, competition officials had intended to assess the league ahead of the 2026 season. The review is now likely to happen this year as they map out a path forward.

Debate has raged about the optimum number of Australian teams, with no consensus on whether four or five is the preferred number.

Lonergan believes it's important to keep five sides to continue developing emerging players.

"Personally I think five is ideal," he said. "I'm not sure about how you manage it all but I believe the more professional rugby players you have playing in Australia, it can only make us better.

"That's just my opinion. I know a lot of people have their own opinions on that but that's how I see it."