Rebels vs Waratahs match report and analysis

The NSW Waratahs returned to the scene of a crime on Friday night, with AAMI stadium being the site of their evisceration of the Rebels in the season opener last year.

That night, they bullied and bludgeoned the Rebels in a 43-0 whitewash; on Friday night, the Rebels were keen to demonstrate that they wouldn’t roll over this time around. But how far can words get you in the face of a vastly more experienced list?

Both sides filled the benches with injured stars before the match even started, with the Tahs missing Rocky Elsom, Berrick Barnes, and Drew Mitchell, whilst Stirling Mortlock, Kurtley Beale, and Ged Robinson all sat the match out in a suit and tie on the Rebels bench.

Unfortunately for the Rebels, their comparative lack of depth meant that a war of attrition was not going to be a happy one for the home side.

The Waratahs demonstrated their willingness to spin the ball wide early, breaking the line and pushing the ball deep into Rebels’ territory within the first two minutes, only to turn the ball over. But the Rebels were up to the challenge early with some ferocious defense and real willingness at the breakdown.

The Rebels loose forwards were particularly aggressive throughout the match, led by their Welsh captain Gareth Delve, who threw himself into the fray on both sides of the ball.

Prior to the match, the front row of the Waratahs looked to be a clear advantage, but the Rebels held their own at scrum time, constantly providing a solid base for the talented backline to build on.

Similarly, the Rebels lineout was highly reliable, forcing the Waratahs to give up contesting lineouts towards the end of the match. But the Melbourne masses didn’t pay for tickets to see the front row perform, they came to see James O’Conner and the rest of the backline.

Danny Cipriani is caught in a difficult situation at this point, as it’s clear that he wants to return to England at the end of the year but the Rebels also desperately need him to put together a good season and keep the team competitive.

The young fly-half looked dangerous with the ball in hand early and was clearly willing to back his own agility. Unfortunately, his tactical kicking still leaves a lot to be desired as he struggled to avoid debut Waratahs fullback Bernard Foley with his kicks downfield.

Cipriani seemed to lose confidence in his abilities as the match continued, culminating in two consecutive penalties where he failed to find touch.

By the second half, he was deferring to Mark Gerrard for much of the clearance kicking (not a bad choice considering Gerrard has a talent for driving the ball deep) and was quick to pass the ball away when the Rebels were on attack.

Conversely, James O’Conner started the match quite jittery, shanking a kick within the first minute that gave the Waratahs fantastic field position. But as the match wore on and he got quick ball with space to move, he worked some magic and opened up holes in the defense.

Although none of the kicks were especially difficult, JOC. did have a strong day with the ball on the tee, scoring 14 points from four penalties and a conversion.

As was the tale for the whole match, whilst the Rebels were certainly wilful, the Waratahs were far more composed and skilful on the day. They knew how they were going to beat a fired up Melbourne side, and went about with the look of an experienced prize-fighter: wearing their opponent out with a series of body shots then dazzling with quite complex back line plays.

Each of their early tries came off the back of a period of sustained pressure, followed by a mental lapse on the Rebels’ part. All Tom Carter had to do to cross for his first try was run a line inside of O’Conner, who was caught trying to leak wide on defense. Cooper Vuna had no angle whatsoever to cover the play, and Carter blew by him for a pretty basic score.

Even more bizarre was Sekope Kepu’s score right at the end of the first half. It’s not often that a prop can score a try from dummy half, but the Rebels forgot to cover one side of the ruck and simply stood by whilst Kepu grabbed the ball and ran in the gift of a try.

The softness around the sides of the ruck was an issue for the Rebels throughout the match, as Sarel Pretorious repeatedly carved the defense up with dummy half runs. The athleticism and fitness of the Waratahs pack provided real go-forward for the team throughout the match as well; when your hooker is able to provide constant offloads and link up in back line plays, it provides a significant advantage.

By comparison, the Rebels pack looked exhausted in open play towards the end of each half, with plenty of hands on heads each time the whistle blew. These tired forwards placed increasing pressure on the Melbourne backline in defense, an area that clearly needs some scrutiny.

Although O’Conner is supposedly a stout defender, the Rebels’ 9-12 all looked highly suspect in defence, leaving the middle of the field highly vulnerable to punchy runs from Wycliff Palu and the Waratahs back row. The only way that the Rebels were able to contain the width of the Waratahs attack was by gambling and playing very aggressive cover defense.

It’s a tactic with no margin for error, and in each situation a quick pass from Adam Ashley Cooper would have sent his wingers in for an easy try.

But the Rebels played the match with passion and vigour, succeeding in getting under the Waratahs skin a number of times. Their persistence was rewarded in the 67th minute when they were given a penalty try on the back of a sustained rolling maul.

It took the majority of the team to force the Waratahs back onto their own tryline, but wrestling a pack of that size into submission was no mean feat. The Rebels were given a brief window of opportunity at this point, down 14 points with 10 minutes to go and a Waratah sin-binned. But the Waratahs showed their experience by shutting out any hopes with a quick three points on the back of a Rebels penalty.

With Pretorious looking far more dangerous than he did a week ago, Halangahu continuing to evolve into a very reliable fly-half and a pack that shapes up as the best in the nation, the Waratahs have a fantastic shot at claiming the first seed in the Australian conference.

It was encouraging to see the passion and aggression on display from the Rebels, but the sheer weight of mental lapses on defense and lack of creativity with the ball will sink any chances they have unless they improve.