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Melbourne coach Rod Macqueen had said all he wanted was his team to be competitive in their historic first game in the Super Rugby competition. But after a 43-0 loss to the powerhouse NSW Waratahs, he might have been aiming a little high.
The new kids on the block were given a harsh reality check by Australia’s most highly-rated side as the visitors ran in seven unanswered tries at AAMI Park to win the Weary Dunlop Shield, which will be presented each time the teams meet.
A sobering result was met with remarkably good spirit by a crowd of 25,524, many of them Victorian fans who had waited years for a team of their own.
So thrilled were they to be watching rugby in their own backyard, they didn’t seem to care that the Waratahs turned the night into a miserable one for the Rebels.
Melbourne started with rather more promise and kept the Waratahs scoreless for the first 24 minutes with a glut of possession.
The Rebels suffered an early blow when play-maker James Hilgendorf injured his shoulder in a tackle by powerhouse NSW hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau and was replaced in the seventh minute by English five-eighth Danny Cipriani.
NSW, who boast 14 former and current Test players in their 22, showed their experience, class and patience and mounted their campaign as the Rebels ran out of steam.
They scored two tries, through Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale and Test winger Drew Mitchell, in their first half to take 10-0 lead to the sheds.
Cipriani, who played seven Tests for England, had the opportunity to notch the Rebels’ first ever points in the 35th minute but sent a penalty kick wide.
When NSW hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau barrelled over three minutes into the second half the game was effectively over.
As the Rebels ran on replacements, their combinations further faltered and the Waratahs’ powered ahead, with Beale and Mitchell collecting their second tries, while centre Rob Horne and skipper Phil Waugh all crossed.
The Melbourne fans tried to will their side to score their first ever try, with the sound of “Rebels, Rebels” echoing around the ground, but they couldn’t penetrate the NSW wall of defence.
Macqueen will at least be happy they kept NSW from crossing again in the final 10 minutes.
But skipper Stirling Mortlock, who had a solid game as he continues his comeback from back surgery said it was a painful lesson and lamented his side’s high error rate.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, NSW are a class side,” Mortlock said.
“We were no where near we needed to be tonight … in reality we were outplayed everywhere.”
Macqueen said a yellow card to hooker Ged Robinson two minutes into the second half for a deliberate foul at the breakdown was a “killer” as NSW scored off the next play.
He believed the team was disrupted by the loss of Hilgendorf but said he didn’t want to make excuses.
“We paid the price for turning the ball over … great respect to NSW, I thought they played intelligent football,” Macqueen said.
“They made us pay for all our mistakes.
“We’ve learned a lot from it.”
NSW coach Chris Hickey was delighted with his team’s bonus point win to start the season.
“I thought this was a difficult game to navigate and we knew they’d be highly motivated,” Hickey said.
“We showed a bit more respect for the ball in the second half and then the opportunities came from that.”
The Rebels have a few injury concerns with Hilgendorf and centre Cooper Vuna to undergo scans on their shoulders while flanker Hoani McDonald will have x-rays on an expected broken hand.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.