The result was much closer than when these sides met in round five and but for some inaccurate goal-kicking the Rebels could have been in with a shout. Ultimately the potent Reds attack proved too hot for the Rebels to handle.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Rebels as another healthy attendance of 16,593 had the opportunity of stepping onto the AAMI Park turf to celebrate the boutique stadium’s anniversary.
The Rebels fired out of the blocks full of purpose and an early Julian Huxley penalty put the pressure straight on the conference leaders. A second attempt inside the opening ten minutes failed to find the target but the opening phases were all played deep in Reds territory.
The Rebels pressed hard to build on their early score, with the best chance falling to Peter Betham, but the young winger spilled a sharp inside ball ten metres from the line. The home side was left to pay for failing to convert their early dominance, as 3-0 became 3-15 midway through the half.
First, Quade Cooper stroked over a simple penalty to level the scores, before Scott Higginbotham demolished the Rebels’ defence to claim the game’s first try. After Michael Lipman had spilled the ball in midfield, the powerful Reds flanker stormed down the right wing, dismissing three Rebels tackles before taking James Hilgendorf over with him for the score.
Before the Rebels had chance to draw breath, the Reds had extended their lead. Radike Samo the second back-rower to cross after being given the freedom of the Rebels’ midfield. After missing his first attempt Cooper couldn’t fail to convert a second time from underneath the posts.
Another Cooper penalty rewarded more Reds pressure but just as the game looked to be imitating the reverse fixture in Brisbane, the Rebels hit back. James Hilgendorf’s try dragged his side back into the contest but he was dragged out of it in the same passage. A despairing Samo tackle almost denied the Rebels’ flyhalf and in doing so caused the try-scorer to twist both knees badly beneath him. After missing the conversion, Huxley realigned at five-eighth as Hilgendorf was carried off the ground.
Cooper’s third penalty stifled the Rebels’ comeback and his side’s third try restored the healthy lead.
After ploughing through the middle of the ground the Reds had a scarcely believable three-man overlap on the right wing. The widest of the three, Dom Shipperley, was found by a Will Genia kick who had the easiest of tasks in gathering and touching down.
Despite the halftime siren sounding shortly after the restart, there was still time for Huxley to miss his second penalty of the night, resulting in the sides taking a break with the Reds 26-8 in front.
The second half was played with greater circumspection than the first but when Mike Harris was sin-binned on 56-minutes for a deliberate offside, the Rebels sensed the game was still alive.
That sense was strengthened when, from the resulting penalty, Afusipa Taumoepeau scored a try in the left corner. After the tight five probed through the middle, the Rebels cycled the ball wide and an audacious reverse flicked pass from Huxley created the opening for substitute Taumoepeau to dive over. Huxley failed to convert from the touchline, but with a man advantage and the Rebel Army finding its voice, the game was far from over.
Such optimism was extinguished on 63-minutes however, when Victorian, Digby Ioane, jinked his way through to score under the posts and take the Reds’ lead back out to 20 points.
With five minutes remaining, Peter Betham’s try typified the Rebels’ never-say-die attitude. Stirling Mortlock, taking over kicking duties, missed the conversion, the Rebels’ fifth missed kick out of six on the night.
Melbourne Rebels
1. Greg Somerville, 2. Ged Robinson, 3. Laurie Weeks, 4. Alister Campbell, 5. Hugh Pyle, 6. Hoani Macdonald, 7. Michael Lipman, 8. Gareth Delve (vc), 9. Nick Phipps, 10. James Hilgendorf, 11. Peter Betham, 12. Stirling Mortlock (c), 13. Mark Gerrard, 14. Lachlan Mitchell, 15. Julian Huxley
Reserves: 16. Heath Tessmann, 17. Nic Henderson, 18. Adam Byrnes, 19. Tim Davidson, 20. Sam Cordingley, 21. Cooper Vuna, 22. Afusipa Taumoepeau
Head Coach: Rod Macqueen
Reds
1. Ben Daley, 2. Saia Faingaa, 3. James Slipper, 4. Rob Simmons, 5. James Horwill (c), 6. Scott Higginbotham, 7. Beau Robinson, 8. Radike Samo, 9. Will Genia, 10. Quade Cooper, 11. Digby Ioane, 12. Michael Harris, 13. Anthony Faingaa, 14. Luke Morahan, 15. Ben Lucas
Reserves: 16. James Hanson, 17. Guy Shepherdson, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Jake Schatz, 20. Will Chambers, 22. Dom Shipperley, 25. Ian Prior
Head Coach: Ewen McKenzie
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