The Melbourne Rebels will take their first ever Super Rugby game away from AAMI Park next February when they play the Sharks in Ballarat.
The Rebels have elected to shift their round four clash against the South Africans on February 22 to Mars Stadium in the regional town.
The contest will mark the third time the Club has played in Ballarat, following a Super Rugby trial against the Reds and NRC match against QLD Country earlier this year.
“And we are “2 and 0” so out here we are definitely looking to keep that track record,” Rebels back Semisi Tupou said an announcement at Mars Stadium on Thursday.
Melbourne have held pre-season camps in Ballarat in previous years as well, and Rebels GM of professional rugby Nick Ryan said it was an easy choice when the club decided to take one of their home games on the road.
"It’s a really exciting initiative for the club, it’s the first time in 10 years we have taken a game away from AAMI Park and we have chosen Ballarat to do that,” Ryan said.
"The welcome we have had from Ballarat, the city and the club and the local schools, has been really fantastic for us.
"We have had two pre-season games here and two games here at … Stadium over the past couple of years and the reception we get, the friendliness of the town, is really second to none and so it made it a really easy decision for us to bring a game here on the 22nd of February."
