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The RaboDirect Rebels gave their all on an emotional night at AAMI Park, but sadly there was to be no fairytale result for departing captain Stirling Mortlock as the Reds ran out 32-17 winners.
The Rebels matched the champions for endeavour throughout, but for all the chances they created in the opening period they just couldn’t put points on the board. The visitors wasted none of their opportunities, however, capitalising on the hosts’ set piece errors to score two of their three first-half tries.
Two converted scores from the Rebels in the second half gave the 14,110-strong crowd hope of a comeback, but a late try gave the Reds their bonus point and sealed the win.
Mortlock was proud of his team’s effort against strong opposition, and hinted that despite struggling with injury he would still be around to lead the Rebels when they head to South Africa next week.
“I would have loved for us to continue on with that momentum we had in the second half, but the Reds are a quality team and they showed that when they shut down the game, maintained possession and put us under pressure, and then eventually got some points with that try,” said Mortlock.
“We’ve got two decent games to go – the Lions and then the Stormers. That’s going to be a significant challenge for us. We haven’t got a win yet in South Africa, so we’ve got to focus on that, and likewise so do I.”
The Rebels survived an early assault from the visitors, before working their way back down into Reds’ territory with some sublime offloading to break the defensive line. Their handling skills and strong running almost took them over for five points, but Tom Chamberlain was held just short and the ball was fumbled as the forward runners tried to punch their way through.
They worked another great opportunity soon after, as quick hands released Mark Gerrard down the right flank. Jono Owen tried to squirm his way over from a ruck a few feet short of the tryline, but Quade Cooper managed to hold the ball up over the whitewash with a desperate last-ditch tackle.
The referee was playing an advantage to the Rebels, however, and James O’Connor coolly slotted the penalty from wide on the right to give his side the lead.
It didn’t take long for the Reds to strike back however, as an overthrow from a Rebels lineout close to their own line created a golden opportunity. It was a simple case of drawing and passing for the Reds backline, setting up young winger Chris F’Sautia to cross in the corner. The successful conversion from Mike Harris, along with an easy penalty soon after, put his side ahead 10-3.
Another set-piece turnover proved costly for the Rebels, when the ball was lost at an attacking scrum. Genia quickly spread the ball to Harris, who chipped and regathered before more slick passing allowed Dom Shipperly to score. Once again Harris was on target, taking the Reds’ lead out to 17-3.
The Rebels were determined to prevent the finals contenders from getting up a head of steam, with captain Mortlock putting in several thundering hits to mark the occasion. Their efforts in defence were brave as the Reds battered their tryline, but they couldn’t stop a wonderful offload out of the tackle from Cooper, which put lock Adam Wallace-Harrison in to score untouched. Another simple conversion for Harris made it 24-3 to the Reds just before half-time.
The loss of Mortlock at the break, along with O’Connor to a hamstring strain shortly afterwards, forced a reshuffle in the Rebels’ backline, with Beale stepping into the fly-half role, Lachie Mitchell coming on at centre, and Julian Huxley taking to the field at full-back.
Despite the disruption, the Rebels started the second half brightly. A mesmerising run from Beale created a hole for Cooper Vuna, and as the Reds desperately brought him down space opened up for the Rebels on the right hand side. Beale managed to fire a hurried pass out to his support as the scramble defence pressed up, but agonisingly it evaded all Melbourne attackers.
They continued attacking relentlessly however, with Vuna looking dangerous when given space. The Wallaby winger sparked another assault on the Reds’ line, and after his teammates had broken down a gutsy defence Beale stepped inside a drifting defender to dive over under the posts. His conversion brought the score back to 27-10 with just under half an hour to play.
The Rebels created several more chances as the half wore on, and eventually a strong, evasive run from flanker Hugh Perrett broke the Reds’ defensive line and opened up space for Mitchell to score after some quick handling from his team-mates. Beale had no trouble with the conversion from the right-hand side, narrowing the gap to ten points as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
The Reds lifted again as the clock threatened to deny them the bonus point they so desperately needed, and after a sustained period of attack they were rewarded when replacement Nick Frisby dived over in the corner for his side’s fourth try.
A Rebels comeback seemed unlikely, but the players ignored both the clock and the scoreboard and attacked til the last. Huxley sped through towards the line, and Gerrard was bundled into touch inches short of the line, before the buzzer brought an end to a brave game from the Rebels on a memorable evening at AAMI Park.
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