A court hears that a Rugby Australia director privately advised colleagues against providing a bailout to the Melbourne Rebels. Multiple reports say the Rebels believed they had full backing from Rugby Australia, but evidence presented in court includes a text message in which the director urges others to “let them fall over.” The messages are described as being sent internally, contrasting with the approach the Rebels understood to be coming from Rugby Australia. The matter is being considered through court proceedings that examine communications between Rugby Australia leadership and parties involved in the Rebels. The reports focus on the wording of the director’s advice and the context of the Rebels’ expectations regarding support. While the articles refer to the same alleged message and court hearing, they do not provide differing substantive details about what prompted the advice beyond the dispute over whether a financial rescue should be pursued. The case continues as the court evaluates the evidence and the parties’ competing accounts of the level and nature of support available to the Rebels.