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In front of a smallish crowd at AAMI Park Melbourne, on a grey afternoon, Super Rugby high flyers the Lions, got the result most people expected – a seven tries to one win over the Rebels.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Rebels 10
Lions 47
It’s both ends of the spectrum this afternoon in Melbourne; the bloodied, battered and bruised Rebels limping home from South Africa to face a rested, assured Lions; the home team, with one win so far this year, versus the visitors with only one loss. Join The Roar for live scores and a live blog from 3pm AEST.
The Rebels’ injury woes have been well documented, captain Nic Stirzaker the latest to suffer an injury (to his ankle) which will see him miss 4-5 weeks. With squad halfback Mick Snowden suffering a serious foot injury against the Kings, Ben Meehan will start at 9, with rookie Harrison Goddard drafted out of Sydney club rugby to sit on the bench.
Fijian Test player Ben Volavola showed flashes of promise against the Kings and will again start at 10, although the Rebels have had little opportunity to build backline combinations this year,of the type to trouble a top of the table outfit such as the Lions.
With six changes to the run-on side, coach Tony McGahan will be looking for a significant increase in commitment over last week; something along the lines of their recent ‘backs against the wall’ effort which saw them score an upset win against the Brumbies in round 8.
By contrast the Lions are a far more settled side, although not without injury problems too; including centre Johan Janse van Rensburg, who this week was the victim of a terrifying home invasion and kidnapping, which he and his partner were extremely lucky to survive.
Coach Johan Ackermann told me this week that he is frustrated by his side’s inability to consistently reproduce last year’s stellar form, although he acknowledges that, with the element of surprise now gone, opposition defences have worked hard to counter their high pace, offloading and support game.
While the Lions work as hard on their set piece as any side – lock Franco Mostert a standout this year – Ackermann has no intention of adopting a more conservative style, confirming that playmaker Elton Jantjies retains free licence to try things as he sees fit. What pleases Ackermann more than anything, is his players expressing themselves on the field and trying out their skills.
With that in mind, fans at AAMI Park this afternoon can expect a free-flowing encounter, with both sides having pace to burn in the three-quarters.
Prediction
The Lions are heading for a repeat appearance in the final; potentially this time with home advantage. The Rebels are nowhere near finals consideration, and while they are capable of causing an upset, it is hard to see how they will be able to contain the Lions over 80 minutes.
Lions by 21.
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