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The 14th-placed Rebels take on the 12th-placed Reds in a nothing-to-lose encounter at AAMI Park. Join us for live scores from 7:40pm AEST.
Both teams will be wearing indigenous jerseys as a nod to the sport’s indigenous players. This of course means there’s going to be more colour than a Bulls versus Stade Francais exhibition match; we’ll be in for a treat.
The last time these two teams met, the Reds lost 27-30 at home and there was an eye gouging claim. They’ll still be smarting from that game.
Returning for this match, and on a high from the recent Wallabies campaign will be skipper James Horwill, Rob Simmons and James Slipper, who are all starting for the Reds. Will Genia’s recent ankle surgery has sidelined him for the rest of the season, prompting comment from Reds coach Richard Graham, “Someone mentioned to me yesterday that it is the first time since 2008 that neither Will (Genia) or Quade (Cooper) have been in the Reds starting line-up.”
It will be interesting to see how the new pairing go, in Nick Frisby and Ben Lucas. Anthony Fainga’a slots in as vice-captain.
The player to look out for at the Rebels is Jason Woodward, the 24-year-old fullback. His form this year has been lightning. Captain Scott Higginbotham will be looking to have a canter after a quiet gig at the Wallabies this past month.
In terms of attack the Reds are middle of the pack, with two tries per game. They struggle to make clean breaks, ahead of only the Bulls on three per game, and are near the bottom of the table in terms of running metres and defenders beaten. Their attacking game has been on a steady decline since the highs of 2011, in line with the form Genia and Cooper.
The Rebels generally sit in the middle of the pack for attacking stats, except for tries scored, where they’re curiously thin on the ground. Their average of one try per game has them second lowest in the competition, above only the Lions.
Their defence, however, is top rate in terms of contact converting into tackles. Their set pieces are solid, they’re very good at turning rucks into possession. Add to this they know how to offload.
But the stat you can’t measure is the energy output. This Rebels outfit is a live wire and you never know which way they’re going to go.
Let’s find out.
Join The Roar at 7.40pm AEST tonight on The Roar and be sure to leave your comments below.
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.