Roar Guru
Round 12 sees a clash between the 12th-placed Melbourne Rebels and the second placed Chiefs at AAMI Park. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 7.40pm AEST.
The Rebels have had another tough start to their season having won just two games so far.
The Victorians are coming off a gut-wrenching loss to the Crusaders last weekend in a game that showed vast improvements in their attack and also showcased the leadership of new captain Scott Higginbotham.
James O’Connor also showed his class both with the boot and with the ball in hand.
The news of Kurtley Beale returning should bolster the squad but it is unclear whether or not the troubled playmaker will feature in the sides match this weekend against a Chiefs team that will be looking to get maximum points from the encounter.
The Chiefs have come out victorious in six of their nine fixtures this season and are coming off a close win over the Sharks last weekend.
While the Waikato outfit have been in good form this season, they have suffered losses against Australian sides the Reds and Waratahs, a list they will not want the Rebels to be joining.
Injury blows in the shape of Richard Kahui and Tewera Kerr-Barlow will no doubt affect the side but it is hard to look past the defending champions in this fixture.
I see the Chiefs winning by more than seven against a valiant Rebels side that just won’t quite be good enough to beat them.