Tim Horan has slammed the Rebels forward pack as “soft”, while Laurie Fisher called out their “criminal” flaw after their dispiriting 30-3 loss to the ACT Brumbies.
The Rebels have been doing it tough of the field with speculation around the club’s future. That increased on Wednesday with speculation they could be replaced by Argentina based Jaguares from next season.
Horan, speaking on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven, was critical of the Rebels in the wake of some big signings.
“I thought the Rebels were really poor,” Horan said.
“I spoke a couple of weeks leading into the competition that I thought Nick Stiles (Rebels general manager of rugby) had his fingerprints all over this team. (Taniela) Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, (Filipo) Daugunu. I thought this is as good a list that the Rebels have had.
Rob Leota of the Rebels reacts after the Rebels loss to the Brumbies during the round one Super Rugby Pacific match between Melbourne Rebels and ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park, on February 23, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
“They were poor and the forward pack of the Rebels was as soft as I’ve seen them. So I really hope they bounce back this weekend because Andrew Kellaway at fullback was the only shining light for that Rebels team.”
Horan said it was clear that the off field drama was “certainly having an effect on the players’ mindset.
“Where am I going to be next year? Where can I play? I’m ringing the manager – can I go offshore, is someone else in Super Rugby going to pick me up? It’s playing on their mind.”
Former Wallabies assistant coach Fisher told The Roar Rugby Podcast that the Rebels execution was well below acceptable standard.
“I look at the Rebels on Friday night and 16 A-zone entries for a penalty goal – that is criminal, absolutely criminal. If the Brumbies gave up 16 A-zone entries against the Chiefs or Crusaders or Hurricanes they’re not winning 30-3, I guarantee you.
“You’d be wanting nine or 10 A zone entries from the opposition as a maximum so they’ve got to tighten up. But I just didn’t see enough discipline or cohesion in the Rebels’ game to say it was any better or different to 2023 or before.”
Meanwhile, ACT Brumbies hooker Lachie Lonergan believes his team can make an early Super Rugby Pacific statement by rolling the powerhouse Chiefs this weekend.
Against the side that ended their 2023 campaign in the semi-finals, the Brumbies are out to continue their rampaging start to the year after belting Melbourne 30-3 first-up.
But the Chiefs, who ended last season as runners-up, are an entirely different proposition.
They avenged their final defeat with a 33-29 win against the Crusaders in a scintillating encounter in Waikato, Lonergan acknowledging a victory in the Super Round clash would be a genuine scalp.
“They’re a good defensive side and they’ve obviously got good players like D-Mac (halfback Damian McKenzie), their No.9 and No.10 combination steers the ship well … they’ve got exciting players so we have to defend well and look after their threats,” he said.
“We haven’t talked about (the semi-final loss) too much, but it’s always playing on everyone’s minds.
“We’re keen to (play) them, they’re a good team to (play), so everyone’s pretty excited.
“Losing to them in the semi-finals, it would be good to get one up on them early on in the season.”
While their 27-point win against the Rebels reads well on the surface, the Brumbies have plenty to fix from their first competitive hit-out of the campaign.
They gave away a whopping 20 penalties, allowing Melbourne to comfortably win the territory battle despite only finding three points.
A similar performance discipline-wise would end in defeat against the Chiefs, Lonergan said.
“It was annoying on the weekend, but I think they’re easy fixes,” he said.
“We’ve obviously looked at them, there’s just stupid stuff around the ruck so we’ve got to be a lot better there.
“We didn’t get pinged on the weekend for it, but the Chiefs would take every opportunity they can.
“It’s gonna be a physical battle … good breakdown, good set-piece will go a long way to winning. They’re obviously a quality side but I think we’ll be up for it.”
(With AAP)
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Yes, or the kind of professional commentator who wasn't anything before. Some of the best commentators were just that, commentators.
Dualcode
Roar Rookie
Rebels squad is legit, although the coaching leaves alot to be desired. And the Brumbies "rolling" the Chiefs is worth seeing to end AU drought against kiwi sides, if the Canberra boys can actually do it on the paddock come Sunday.
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Haha, says you posting the same naff stuff, even after everyone has explained it to you. Yet here ypu are posting the same banal thoughtless comments which completely miss the points being spoken to. I thought you were more considered than that.. i guess we live and learn... well some of us.
ScottD
Roar Guru
I agree with you on the first one, the Brumbies had a 60m backline movement that wasn’t shut down and during it Kellaway didn’t run hard enough early enough and was woefully out of position when the chip came. The third try you refer to I thought is a bit harsh. He committed to the tackle and they went outside. I thought he didn’t have any choice but to come in because if he hadn’t they would have scored anyway. A tough call to blame it all on him but I agree it looked bad. The Cale try looked to me like the ball was ripped out not necessarily a pass from Kellaway? I guess you could say it was poor ball retention/recycling in the tackle by Kellaway but I thought more likely illegal act from the tackler to rip it with his right arm when they were both on the ground. Have a look at the replay and you’ll see what I mean.
ScottD
Roar Guru
I think they'll beat the Force this weekend unfortunately. The Force will just run out of SR quality tight 5 players. Their reserve front row is a bit short on experience and they are a lock short.
ScottD
Roar Guru
They could do worse than getting a couple of former international coaches to commentate or even just one as an occasional guest commentator just to break the monotony.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Get a life
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Try watching the game and the instances being referred to rather than mouthing off the same nonsense time and again as if it is relevant.
piru
Roar Rookie
Yes if they were so easy to fix, why haven't they already fixed them?
piru
Roar Rookie
Huge issue… lost 5 lineouts, won 13 I think I saw… Lost over a quarter of their throws. Western Force: “Hold my Gage Roads”
Reds Harry
Roar Rookie
I have grown to hate the banal uttering popular among Australian rugby union players that problems/inadequacies/weaknesses are "an easy fix". While in the example above L. Lonergan is doing so from a (rare) winning position most times it is uttered by a player from a team who has lost, and even more depressingly the problems are never adequately "fixed'' as they are deep seated.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
And also just some tactical errors. Like overcommitting at the breakdown until the Daugunu yellow card. That stretched our D and meant Brumbies made easy meters. We defended better with 14 than we did for the first 20 with 15 because we gave ourselves an extra 1 or 2 in the line. Also just some really bad execution errors hurt at times. Gordon had some bad kicks, gave up a line out 5m from the try line at one point. The line out unit gave the hooker no target and a few other aspects like that.
piru
Roar Rookie
I would have thought Hoiles, having been on record many times calling for the axing of teams, would have a conflict of interest in commentating.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Maybe but has nothing to do with the forwards being soft.
Hoy
Roar Guru
Huge issue... lost 5 lineouts, won 13 I think I saw... Lost over a quarter of their throws.
East Coast Aces
Roar Rookie
He shouldn't even be there. Massive conflict of interest considering he's head of the players association. He's also just worked directly for RA completing their hidden post world cup review. Which will absolve the current Board and CEO of all culpability. He's hardly going to give honest commentary on players. And just imagine if you're a player. You are paying this guy to stick up for you and he's bagging you on the TV or talking up other players over you etc etc.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Generally because you are defending with players dropped back you will take the man in front and if it gets to an overlap the fullback covers then. For the first try that happened, Gordon covered, but then when the man put a chip kick in, Kellaway had failed to cover the space. He should have been covering taken the chip option away. The Charlie Cale try was him popping a nothing pass off the ground. The last try Kellaway got skinned on the outside when he was on the wing. He was too slow to shift out following the 13, so he was defending space.
Nivlek
Roar Rookie
Hoiles I don’t mind. But I can never figure out what Harrison is actually on about. All corporate speak and ‘dark arts’ ..
Hoy
Roar Guru
I see it as a soft loss… Not soft as in not phsyical, but soft as in they were really quite poor… like they weren’t mentally in it. I wanted them to really scrap it out… They didn’t…
Ankle-tapped Waterboy
Roar Rookie
Thanks Timmy! I have been looking for a midweek drinking game to go with the Channel 9 sports commentary platitudes at the weekends and I think you've nailed it for me. Comments about "hardness". Those inane comments by Eddie Jones to Mr Slipper really have got legs, haven't they? A single malt for each occurrence, and I'm a happy man. Today I see Peter Fitzsimons has commented about the hardness thing at the World Cup EJ Debacle of 2023. He's hit the nail directly in the sweet (or silly) spot: "Slipper is a good man, a great servant of the game, and ambassadorial by nature. But on receipt of this view from Eddie, I wish we could have gone from fly-on-the-wall documentary to scripted film, because there were a couple of things I wanted him to say and do. I wanted him to grip Eddie by the lapels, lean in, and say on behalf of the Australian rugby community: “Eddie! You’re acting like you’re only the piano player in this brothel. YOU are the one that left most of the hardheads behind! I’m close to the only bastard here who can remember the new millennium, as the rest of them were barely out of nappies at the time. Some of them weren’t even born! How could they be Test-tough as a breed, when we are the youngest team here? “Oh, and Eddie, when it comes to commitment, to putting yourself on the line, can you talk to us about Japan, mate? You’re talking to us about the great renaissance of Australian rugby on the back of our total commitment to the cause, when we all know you’ve had your first interview to go to Japanese rugby! “Eddie? #FFS!” He didn’t say any of that, at least in the footage we saw. But I wish he had. John Eales once said to me: “No one is a complete waste of space, Fitz, you can always serve as a bad example.” This doco is compelling, but it also serves a great purpose for incoming Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. This is how NOT to do it." The Rebels are more committed than Eddie Jones, and Jones was a Chairman of the RA Board captain's pick. That's a helluva benchmark, or as Fitzsimons says, FFS. How much more committed could the Rebels be?