Although it is not yet known when Victoria’s top-ranking rugby team will return to the city, Leahy said it was high on the agenda to return as soon as possible.

Leahy, head coach Tony McGahan and a swag of key players will visit Ballarat on Wednesday as part of the regional tour.

The tour is part of the club’s initiative to incorporate regional areas as part of its push to become Victoria’s team – not just Melbourne’s.

Leahy said the clinic, to be hosted at St Patrick’s College, was symptomatic of a push to see the sport expand in Ballarat.

“I see Ballarat as a real growth corridor for us,” Leahy said.

“We’re pretty keen to bring matches back to Ballarat. But at most each year, we will only have two trial matches in Victoria so it is hard to be everywhere.

“There is a small, but growing rugby team in Ballarat (the St Patrick’s College Old Collegians Rugby Union Football Club) and that shows the interest is there.”

The RaboDirect Rebels visited Ballarat on the verge of their inaugural Super Rugby season in 2011 when they played a practice match against Fiji.

However, they are yet to return to the city since the match that drew almost 3500 spectators four years ago.

Leahy said he envisaged developing a rugby sevens competition in Ballarat that he hoped would attract Australian rules footballers.

The competition would start in October and November and would be the perfect sport for Ballarat footballers, according to Leahy.

“The perfect athlete for a rugby sevens competition is an AFL athlete,” he said,

“It’s not about going head-to-head with football – it’s about complementing it. 

“It is difficult (to compete with football), I won’t say it’s easy. That’s why we think it’s good to start in rugby sevens.”

Rebels co-captain Scott Fuglistaller, Wallaby Sean McMahon, Mitch Inman and Lopeti Timani will put young rugby players through their paces at a two-hour clinic at St Patrick’s College, starting at 4pm.

patrick.nolan@fairfaxmedia.com.au