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The Melbourne Rebels fell to their second successive loss as the Crusaders flexed their Super Rugby muscle with a 25-19 win at AAMI Park on Friday night.
The Rebels were hopeful of rebounding from a heavy loss to the Western Force and while they delivered a much-improved performance, couldn’t get the better of the Crusaders.
Centre Tom Taylor proved his value with the boot, slotting a faultless six penalties and one conversion to give the Crusaders two wins from four games heading into the bye.
In an arm wrestle of a first half, neither side was able to cross the tryline, with Taylor kicking his team to a 12-9 lead, while fullback Jason Woodward collected the Rebels’ points.
They had plenty of possession but too often the Rebels released the pressure valve on the Crusaders with an error or poor kick while a rocketing penalty count did them no favours.
The visitors’ defence was also rock solid, with prop Laurie Weeks coming off second best as he knocked himself out taking the ball up late in the first half and didn’t return.
The first try of the match came in the 56th minute with the Rebels trying desperately to hold out the waves of attack before they were caught short, Crusaders hooker Ben Funnell going over out wide.
The conversion and then another penalty from Taylor pushed the lead out to 13 points and while there was still time to make amends, Melbourne never really looked comfortable.
They managed to get across the line with two minutes remaining with hard-working flanker Scott Fuglistaller coming up with the points after the forwards mauled the ball.
Bryce Hegarty added the extras to ensure an important bonus point for finishing within seven points.
Compounding the disappointment, the Rebels lost exciting fullback Woodward eight minutes into the second half when he limped off with a leg injury.
Rebels coach Tony McGahan was pleased with his side’s effort and said they Crusaders’ experience got the better of them.
“They were just a bit cuter than us in certain aspects and they controlled things really well,” he said.
“We kept coming back and they kept slipping away.”
Melbourne skipper Scott Higginbotham was frustrated with the penalty count, for the second successive week.
“We pride ourselves on our defence and how tough we are at the breakdown and it was disappointing to give away that many penalties,” Higginbotham said.
“It’s tough to come from back from but it was still a very good performance from us.”
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder described the match as an “ugly game” but said his team got what they needed.
While disappointed in their attack he praised his team’s defence.
“Off the back of not having a potent attack tonight we defended with our hearts and it probably made the difference in the end,” Blackadder said.
“We can go into the bye in pretty good nick and we need to put a lot of work into our attack and there are a few things we can do which will certainly improve our game.”
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.