Melbourne Rebels

Missing rested All Blacks Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Luke Whitelock, the Highlanders were also without centre Rob Thompson and forwards Elliot Dixon and Ash Dixon.

They struggled early on as the Rebels opened out to a 17-3 lead after 20 minutes but momentum switched when Rebels halfback Michael Ruru was shown a questionable yellow card for a foot trip on Lima Sopoaga.

Waisake Naholo and Kayne Hammington both capitalised on the one-man advantage with tries to level the scores before Reece Hodge bagged the first of his two charge-down tries.

The All Blacks trio of fullback Ben Smith, halfback Aaron Smith and No 8 Luke Whitelock have been omitted for Saturday's match in Dunedin, along with in-form centre Rob Thompson.

Two players will also be missing from the home team's regular starting pack, with flanker Dillion Hunt and lock Tom Franklin both named on the bench.

With the Highlanders guaranteed a finals spot, coach Aaron Mauger has handed a Super Rugby debut to centre Thomas Umaga-Jensen while it is the first start for fullback Josh Ioane.

Genia's masterclass was a cruel reminder for Reds fans that the star halfback no longer plies his trade at Ballymore but Queensland have far bigger concerns on their plate, with a suspension hanging over new skipper Scott Higginbotham's head.

Higginbotham was shown a red card for a high shoulder charge on Matt Philip in the 10th minute, putting his side on the back foot from the outset.

Genia was long adamant Queensland was his preferred destination for an Australian return, but with three halfbacks already on their books, the Reds could not accommodate the cost of their former nine.

"It was a simple decision because it didn't work out in terms of being accommodated at the Reds," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"So, I could've waited and waited until the 31st of December but I just decided to make a call and I'm pretty happy with my decision, pretty comfortable."

Faulkner, who was born in New Zealand before moving to Melbourne as a 13-year-old, leaves the Force after seven years with the club - a stint that started as injury cover in 2011.

Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson revealed the signing on Melbourne radio station RSN this morning and was brimming with excitement at the prospect of bringing a Wallaby back to Melbourne.

"Tetera is a quality player and person who will bring experience, consistency and strong values to the Rebels,” Stephenson said.

Although the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has yet to be notified of a change in ownership, the governing body says it has received confirmation of a sale via a third party.

In a statement issued on Friday night, the ARU said it understood the ownership has been transferred from Cox's Imperium Group to the Victorian Rugby Union.

"The Melbourne Rebels have an obligation under their Participation Deed to inform ARU of any change of ownership," the statement said.

The Rebels humbled the Waratahs 21-17 at Allianz Stadium last night to record their first-ever win in Sydney and join the Brumbies as surprise equal conference leaders.

"It's a significant result for the club and the Rebels organisation," jubilant coach Tony McGahan said.

Contesting their second and last pre-season fixture ahead of next weekend’s Asteron Life Super Rugby season opener against the Western Force, the Rebels dusted off the cobwebs with a clinical performance.

Fielding a near full-strength team, after the late withdrawal of Luke Jones following the birth of his first daughter in the morning, the Rebels scored 13 unanswered tries in front of 6,205 spectators.

The one-off clash is being used as preparation for next month's Pacific Challenge in Fiji.

Potu Leavasa is in his third year coaching the A team and said it's a different feel this time around with more players being brought in from outside of Samoa.

The development side will be captained by openside flanker Greg Foe, who is one of seven players based outside of Samoa, and features six Manu Samoa Test capped players.

The match is part of the team's preparation for next month's Pacific Rugby Challenge in Suva, which also features A teams from Tonga, Fiji and Japan.