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Melbourne Rebels host the Stormers at AAMI Park in Melbourne tonight as both teams look to snap mid season losing streaks. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 7.35pm AEST.
For the Stormers this match will determine if their Australasian tour can be viewed as a success. They managed to beat the Hurricanes by two points to give them a split in New Zealand.
They have also picked up losing bonus points against both the Blues and the Waratahs.
A win against the Rebels will end the tour on a positive note, one that is badly needed as they fly home to face the Reds next round who will have already been in country nearly two weeks.
For the Rebels, they want to shake the almost tag.
Over the last three weeks they have fallen just short of the Crusaders in Christchurch (26-30 for one bonus point), the Chiefs in Melbourne (33-39 for two bonus points), and the Blues in Auckland (32-36 for two bonus points).
The Rebels of course have also been rocked by the Kurtley Beale affair. He has checked into rehab and it is entirely possible that he will not ever pull on a Rebels jersey again.
Their other star James O’Connor suffered a sternum injury against the Blues and was unable to use his left arm or train early in the week.
Rumours still circulate that he might make a surprise appearance tonight but it would be very unlikely as aggravating the injury would jeopardise his chance to play the British and Irish Lions next month.
I find this game to be intriguing because the Stormers have a very tight defensive system and struggle to score tries whereas the Rebels have a very loose defensive system but score a lot of tries (over the last three weeks they have scored 13 tries but conceded 15). Two completely different teams, and I wonder which will come out on top.
Both captains have been in great form and I expect Jean de Villiers and Scott Higginbotham to lead from the front again.
On paper the Stormers should have sufficient penetration to score tries while also holding the Rebels’ attacks at bay. Join us from 7.35pm AEST for all the action.
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.