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Melbourne rebels ruled out re-signing of No. 8 star Amanaki Mafi after he and his teammate Lopeti Timani had a physical altercation following the team's end-of-season game in Dunedin Saturday.
The Rebels during his two-season stay and the Rebels were trying to convince him to stay with them for the 2019 season despite the allure of returning to Japan as the national team prepares to host the Cup Rugby World next year.
Hot water: Amanaki Mafi in a Dunedin court on Monday.
Photo: Hamish McNeilly
Mafi was a crowd favorite in Melbourne because of his intrepid ball race and his ability to break the tackles, he will be missed by those following the rebels.
Timani, who is also leaving the Rebels, will leave the club disappointingly with Mafi accused of a criminal offense for meeting with Timani, a member of the Wallabies team, following the defeat of the Team against the Highlanders on Saturday
. The rebels confirmed on Tuesday that Mafi would not return next season and they fined each player $ 15,000 for violating the club's disciplinary protocols.
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