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The Rebels will be playing for pride when they take on the Waratahs of New South Wales at AAMI Park. Join us for live scores and commentary from 7:40pm AEST.
It wasn’t so long ago that the Waratahs were the hottest rugby team in town. They were winning games left, right and centre and could hardly set a foot wrong.
Then their hot streak cooled off and everyone else caught up to them. The loss handed to them by the Blues a few weeks back seemed to get them back on the right path, picking up two consecutive wins before getting the bye last weekend.
Now they have a chance to probably make a play for a top 3 spot, if other results falls their way.
First, the Waratahs need to take care of the Rebels. Loosehead Benn Robinson will equal Al Baxter as NSW’s most-capped Super Rugby player with 121, while hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau takes over from Matt Burke as the fifth most capped player of all time for the Waratahs.
Attack has never been much of a problem for the Tahs, but their defence has been a little suspect.
That became a glaring problem when they played the Hurricanes in Round 12, the visitors almost running them down to miss out by nine points. The following game against the Lions proved a little better for the Sydneysiders, racking up 41 points to the Lions limp 17.
The same could be said of the Rebels. They have the attacking ability to score points, be competitive and win far more games then they have this year, but for one reason or another it just hasn’t panned out.
They are continually left puzzling to find where they can find those wins. It certainly hasn’t been from a lack of trying.
The Rebels will be extra hungry to put together back-to-back victories. Last week’s first ever win against the Reds was only their fourth this season. Importantly for the home side they’ll have fond memories of the Round 15 game they played against the Waratahs up in Sydney last season, lapping up a surprising 24-22 win.
It was the Waratahs who showed who was on top when the Rebels visited them earlier in the season and were thumped convincingly. Nonetheless, the Waratahs haven’t had the best form away from their home ground and against fellow Australian sides.
The Rebels are without halfback Luke Burgess, injured against the Reds after collecting two tries in the match. His absence has created a problem at the base of the scrum, with Ben Meehan and Josh Holmes to assume starting and back-up roles. Meanwhile, the re-signing of hooker Pat Leafa until the end of 2016 is a major boost for the club moving forward.
Melbourne have been developing well over the course of the past season and a bit since their introduction into the competition, and their fans are starting to see the benefits. The team are playing much better, are a lot more competitive in games and are holding their own against a lot of quality teams.
A win against the Tahs on Friday will strength them, and go a long way to ensuring they’ll feature in the post-season very soon.
Expect the Rebels to come out very strong in the first 10-15 minutes, and for the Waratahs to stay with them before taking control of the game. The individual strengths of the Sydneysiders will prove too much to handle for the home team.
Tip: Waratahs
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.