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Melbourne Rebels have picked up their second win of the season after a grinding two-point victory over a struggling Reds side that failed to capitalise on their opportunities to hit the front late.
The Rebels move into second spot in the Australian Conference as the Reds slip further into trouble after a rough week in the boardroom and a bevy of changes to the line up.
The Rebels came firing right out of the gate and continued to exploit the Reds’ new-look forward pack, winning penalty after penalty inside the ruck and dominating the scrums in the first half.
Debreczeni was on fire with the boot, slotting three penalty goals and a conversion before the Reds even got on the board in the 35th minute.
Nick Frisby opened the Reds’ account late in the first half off the back of a sensational line break up the middle from Japanese star Hendrik Tui who calmly dropped a flyhalf quality inside ball to Frisby who was backing up and touched down under the posts.
Ten unanswered points late in the half put a halt to the Rebels’ onslaught and sent both sides into the break on the cusp of an even standing.
Despite taking a new load of confidence into the sheds, the Reds came back out with the same sloppy discipline, conceding a penalty and the ensuing goal within 60 seconds of the second half.
Both sides would continue to trade penalties throughout the second stanza as the Reds grinded their way into the lead late in the game and looked to sweep the win from right out underneath the Melbourne franchise.
The Rebels dominance in the ruck continued to hurt the Reds though, taking the lead straight back a minute later through another penalty goal from Debreczeni with just over ten minutes to go.
In what turned out to be an intense final ten, both sides dug deep in attack and defence, desperate for a win. The Rebels put their walls up when it counted though as they defended their slim two-point lead with the Reds at their doorstep, holding on right up until the last seconds when they earned the match-winning penalty and booted it into the stands to complete the victory.
Final Score
Melbourne Rebels – 25 (TRY Placid 14′, PEN Debreczeni 5′, 11′, 25′, 42′, 55′, 69′)
Queensland Reds – 23 (TRY Frisby 35′, Ready 59′, PEN McIntyre 39′, 46′, 67′)
The Rebels will play host to an all-Aussie affair with the Reds tonight as they battle to get off the bottom end of the Australian Conference. Join The Roar for a 7:45pm (AEDT) kickoff and catch all the big hits and highlights coming out of AAMI Park.
The Reds have had a horror start to their campaign off the back of two losses from the opening fixtures, however, the big talking point coming into Round 3 has been the complete boardroom capitulation mid-week.
Coach Richard Graham was shown the door with two interim co-coaches, former Wallabies Nick Stiles and Matt O’Connor, taking the reigns just days before this game. To add to the drama, chief executive Jim Carmichael announced he’ll be standing down in October.
After conceding bonus point victories to the Waratahs in Round 1 and the Western Force last week, the Reds are the only side in the competition to have zero points after two games.
The Rebels come into the game with mixed results so far in the early stages, having taken down the Force in a first round slog by six points, they lost their way in a 70-point try fest against the Bulls in Round 2.
The Reds new coaches have wasted little time making an impact with five changes already announced for tonight’s game as early as Thursday. Japanese star Ayumu Goromaru has been unceremoniously dropped to the bench just two games into his Super Rugby career.
Goromaru’s change up has allowed Karmichael Hunt to switch back to fullback after being thrown into the centres for the start of the season. Anthony Fainga’a will play his first game since May last year at inside centre, coming in for the aforementioned Hunt move to fullback.
Forwards coach Stiles has pounced on the opportunity to rattle around his pack with three players to make their starting debuts. A new look front row will see Sef Fa’agase slot in at loosehead while Andrew Ready will start at Hooker in place of Saia Fainga’a who is out with a nasty foot injury.
Waita Setu will run on as flanker at the expense of Curtis Browning who has been moved back into the replacements.
The Rebels have announced just one change to their side from last week, Jordy Reid makes his way in and is expected to run on at No.6.
Despite the Reds current position on and off the park, they have good reason to be confident coming into the match with a stellar 8-2 win loss record against their Melbourne foes. Even playing away from home against them, the Reds have still only lost once in five games.
Prediction
Despite making some big changes to their squad and coaching staff, it’s hard to be convinced that the Reds won’t continue to struggle for a few more weeks as they settle in to the new regime. The Rebels are looking strong and hungry in the early stages of what could be their best season in Super Rugby, having previously won less than 20 per cent of games in their five season history.
Rebels 27, Reds 12.
Join The Roar for a 7:45pm (AEDT) kickoff and catch all the big hits and highlights coming out of AAMI Park.
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.