Melbourne Rebels need to ditch their winless 2012

The Melbourne Rebels are winless after four rounds of Super Rugby. While it’s still early days, they need to start winning, and soon.

Their season is in danger of slipping from disappointing to disastrous if they can’t gain more than a bonus point at home against the Force this week.

As an expansion side, expectations were rock bottom in their first season. Fans were understandably grateful for any wins the side could produce. But with the likes of James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale jumping on board in the offseason, and the development of prospects such as Hugh Pyle and Cooper Vuna, the buzz was high surrounding this team prior to the season kicking off.

With the Brumbies entering rebuilding mode and the Force threadbare, it seemed reasonable to expect that the Rebels might avoid the wooden spoon in the Australian conference. But after losing a home match against the Cheetahs (the weakest opponent they’ll face all season), it’s difficult to see where the wins will come from for the Rebels.

The team is markedly better than that which suited up a year ago, but there are areas that need to improve if they are going to start climbing the ladder. As with all rugby teams, the Rebels will live and die based on how competitive their pack can be, and so far this season they’ve struggled.

At the set pieces, the Rebels forwards have been very competitive, giving the highly experienced Waratahs scrum a lot to deal with, and scoring one of their two tries against the Cheetahs through a fantastic rolling maul.

But once the ball is in play, their shortcomings become apparent both with and without possession.

Very little pressure has been placed on opposing teams at the breakdown by the Rebels forwards this season, and the Melbourne boys at times lack punch in attack when their forwards carry the ball up to the line.

However, the fault does not lie with all the forwards. Hugh Pyle and Gareth Delve have both been outstanding so far, providing grit and tenacity in all phases of the game. But the front row as a unit has underwhelmed, and is a clear area of need as the team progresses.

Adam Freier has been a fantastic ambassador for rugby in Melbourne, but he was plainly outmatched by Adrian Strauss of the Cheetahs on Sunday, so badly beaten he had to be pulled at halftime. Ged Robinson continues to recover from injury, and should be able to relieve Freier at hooker soon based on his production in the second half of Sunday’s match.

More athleticism and consistency in each component of the pack would vastly improve the Rebels, and it’s clear that they need to find solutions at prop and flanker.

Melbourne’s halves pairing has been problematic so far this year, with Nick Phipps a shell of the player who earned rookie of the year honours last year, and Danny Cipriani drawing a line through a future in Melbourne by signing with Sale from the conclusion of this season.

Both players were benched in the first half of their match against the Cheetahs, but this didn’t exactly help the Rebels, who were rudderless in attack for long stretches as passes hit the deck.

Richard Kingi did provide a lot of energy to the side at scrum half, and his improved service in the second half, combined with a productive stint on the wing, indicate he’ll be valuable for the Rebels in the future. At this point James O’Conner is more comfortable at centre than at flyhalf, a situation where he can share both playmaking and kicking responsibilities with someone else – presently Cipriani.

The rewards gained when O’Connor plays to his strengths (and looks like the most talented backline player in the country) are so great that the Rebels can afford to wait for him to settle into his role and spend more time at the No. 10 spot.

Looking down from 12, the Rebels have been very thin this year, with Stirling Mortlock yet to step onto the field and Kurtley Beale playing one match. Even so, the players that have suited up have been caught napping on defence repeatedly. This may be a combination of lack of communication and the anaemia the Rebels suffer at the breakdowns wearing down the backs, but ultimately they end up conceding plenty of points to very basic backline moves.

The perfect example came in the final 10 minutes of their loss to the Cheetahs, a period when their opponent spun the ball from sideline to sideline without fear of losing possession in the ruck, and created huge holes by simply stepping inside exhausted Rebels defenders.

Experienced players are waiting to return, but one would hope that the influence of defensive guru John Muggleton would improve the cohesiveness of the Rebels’ defence throughout the season.

Gazing down their schedule the Rebels have only two further home matches against Australian conference opponents (the Reds and Brumbies), and face no relief on either overseas tour, as the easiest match appears to be against the Lions at altitude.

They’ve already dropped one match that they could have won, and this week they simply have to take the chance to convert the improvements that they’ve made this season into a win.

If not, they risk losing relevance in an incredibly competitive sporting market, and having their season unfairly classified as a bust.