MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The Melbourne Rebels have recruited Wallabies winger Dane Haylett-Petty and his lock brother Ross from the defunct Western Force in a coup for the struggling Super Rugby team.
Dane was one of Wallabies coach Michael Cheika's first-choice flyers before a bicep injury ruled him out of the rest of the season in September.
The 28-year-old's younger brother Ross formed a solid second row with Force and Wallabies lock Adam Coleman during the Super Rugby season, the Perth team's last after they were axed by the Australian Rugby Union.
The Rebels have profited from the Force's demise, taking their acclaimed coach Dave Wessels and a number of the team's former players as they look to rebound from an injury-plagued season and a bottom-placed finish in the Australian conference.
“I’m really excited about getting stuck in and working hard to achieve something special over the next few years,” Dane Haylett-Petty said in a media release on Friday.
“The rugby programme that Dave (Wessels) runs is all about hard-work and pushing each other, I think we’re building a very competitive group at the Rebels, so I know that he’s going to get the best out of me here."
The Rebels have bolstered their roster with a number of former and current Wallabies players in recent months, including scrumhalf Will Genia and props Ben Daley and Tetera Faulkner.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
