Author: GoMelbRebels

Can the Rebels keep their winning momentum going or will the Lions tame them? The Lions, licking their wounds after a loss to the Waratahs, head to Melbourne to take on the Rebels at AAMI Park. The Melbourne Rebels have had a patchy start to the 2020 Super Rugby season. A shock loss to the Sunwolves away to start the season, followed by a loss to the Brumbies in Canberra didn’t bode well. However, a win over the Tahs at home, and a historic win over the Highlanders in Dunedin show the Rebels are a team that seems to be…

The Rebels crossed the ditch in an effort to keep their dwindling finals hopes alive. The Match The Rebels come into this match after a close loss to the Waratahs the previous week. A win would have been an almost certain ticket to finals footy for the first time, but now the road is a lot harder. Meanwhile, the Crusaders return from Fiji, wounded after suffering a shock loss to the Chiefs. This was also Ryan Crotty’s 150th Super Rugby game, so they wanted a win even more. First half The match started off fairly evenly with a fair bit…

After a week off to recharge their batteries, the Melbourne Rebels head off to Wellington to take on an in-form Hurricanes at the Cake Tin. The Rebels had a perfect opportunity to go up 7-2, with matches against the Stormers and Waratahs in their previous two rounds. Whether it was fatigue, complacency or an inability to adjust their game plan to suit their opponents, they find themselves at a crossroads.  The Rebels now have an uphill battle to hold onto the top of the Aussie conference and make the finals for the first time in their history. The Hurricanes, meanwhile,…

The Rebels return home after four weeks on the road to face a confident Sunwolves team. The Match Both teams come into this encounter following wins against Australian conference rivals. The men from Melbourne over the Reds at Suncorp Stadium, and the Sunwolves over the Waratahs in Newcastle. First half The Sunwolves got things underway, kicking off deep into the Rebels 22. However, early pressure from the Rebels resulted in penalties near the Sunwolves line. Good early defence from the Sunwolves held out the Rebels but after a second scrum, Reece Hodge crashed over in the 7th min for his first of…

The Highlanders from Dunedin travel across the ditch to meet up with the Rebels, at home in Melbourne for the first time in 2019. It was oh-so-close. The final round of 2018 and the Rebels are at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. The score is 43-37 in favour of the Highlanders and the Rebels have one final play at the full-time siren to get over the line. Jack Maddocks can smell the tryline, however, Waisake Naholo has other ideas and the Rebels’ first chance at finals footy goes out the window with one crushing tackle… These two teams have met seven times,…

Melbourne Rising and Brisbane City travel to Adelaide to spread the good word of NRC to South Australians. I once had an employee who called in sick… from Adelaide. I always thought if you were actually sick you were either home or at least close to home. Turns out, Adelaide IS home when it comes to Melbourne Rising, for this fixture is technically Melbourne’s home game. Perth Spirit had played a few games in Adelaide in season one of the NRC in 2014, so it is good to see teams back in the south, battling it out. Both teams were coming…

The Rebels have the playoffs in their sights for the first time in their short history. Can they cement a spot in the top 8 when they visit Dunedin for this final round clash? The Match The Melbourne Rebels have never been a finals chance this late into the regular Super Rugby season. They travel to Dunedin to meet the Highlanders after disappointing showing against the Reds and Waratahs in the previous two rounds. A win against the Highlanders would assure the Rebels a finals berth. For the Highlanders, they are already into the playoffs, but a loss to the…

Saturday arvo Rugby at AAMI Park kicks off the Jaguares’ tour of Australia and New Zealand, going head-to-head with a Melbourne Rebels side, refreshed after a bye. The Rebels came down to earth with a thud in round 7 after being caught in a Hurricane (goes by the name of Ben Lam, I believe). Despite holding a respectable 19-8 lead during the first half, the Kiwi side’s class was just too much and they ran away with the game 50-19. This was not only a major disappointment to the Melbourne side, but also Australian Rugby, desperate to end the New…

After disappointing losses in the previous round, both the Melbourne Rebels and Sharks were looking to get their Super Rugby campaigns back on track in this round 6 clash at AAMI Park, Melbourne. The Match The Sharks from Durban, South Africa, came into this match having lost to the Brumbies in Canberra a week ago, while in the same round the Rebels came unstuck to the Waratahs in stifling conditions in Sydney. The Sharks had a 6-day turnaround, one more than the Rebels, who only had 5 First half From the Sharks’ kick-off the Rebels were in control early with…

Friday night at AAMI Park: can the Melbourne Rebels go 3 from 3 for the first time in their history or will the wounded ACT Brumbies hit back with a much-needed win? As we enter round 4 (technically round 3 for the Aussies and Kiwis) of the Super Rugby competition both the Rebels and the Brumbies have faced off against the Sunwolves and the Reds, with the boys from Melbourne victorious in both their encounters and the Brumbies hurting after a loss to the Queenslanders. Embed from Getty Images Isi Naisarani finds the try line against the Reds in round 3…

The Fiji Drua scored their first win in the NRC, defeating the Melbourne Rising. Both teams headed into this round 2 match looking for their first win. Fijian Drua came back strongly against Brisbane City in round 1, but it was not quite enough, while Melbourne Rising fought hard against a star-studded Perth Spirit, but could not roll the 2016 NRC champions. THE MATCH Bula! From the kick-off, the Fijians were on the attack and it would not be long before the Drua would take first points via a try to Samu Saqiwa, which was subsequently converted. The Rising hit…

The unbeaten Crusaders trekked to Melbourne to take on the quite beaten (and bruised) Rebels at AAMI Park. The Match This is one game Melbourne Rebels fans have been dreading for some time. With more players injured than fit it would seem, coming up against an in form and unbeaten in 2017 Canterbury Crusaders it was more a question of how much will the Rebels lose by. The Crusaders made 10 changes to their lineup, for rotation/resting as opposed to injury, with the notable inclusion of Israel Dagg returning after a long injury break. Meanwhile, the Rebels were lucky enough to welcome back…

After a mixed tour of South Africa, the Melbourne Rebels return home to AAMI Park this Saturday afternoon to face an in-form pack of travelling Lions*.  Annus Horribilis, while providing 12 year-old boys with much snickering, can also be used to describe the Melbourne Rebels’ season thus far. An uncertain future, coupled with an injury list from hell and poor form have left the Rebels 2nd-last on the overall Super Rugby ladder and last in the Aussie conference (and considering the state of the Aussie conference, that’s BAD!). Recent success against Australian conference leaders, the Brumbies and a historic draw…

The NSW Waratahs travelled to Melbourne to redeem their lacklustre 1-3 start to the 2017 season while the Rebels looked to get their first win. The Match This was a must-win for both teams. The Melbourne Rebels had a (to put it bluntly) horror start to their season, coming into round 5, with no wins from 3 games. Meanwhile, the Waratahs had managed only one win from 4 games and with a tough road ahead, this was a game to get their show back on the road. First Half The dial was turned up “all the way to 11” and stayed…

The Western Sydney Rams traveled to windy Melbourne, upsetting the Rising with a 68-30 demolition, claiming the coveted Horan-Little Shield for the first time. THE MATCH WHAT WAS THAT?! DID SOMEONE GET THE LICENCE PLATE OF THAT TRUCK THAT JUST ROLLED THROUGH MELBOURNE? WAS IT WSR068? It was a balmy 23 degrees in Melbourne Sunday afternoon, though it was also blowing a gale down at Harlequin Reserve in Ashwood, the scene of the National Rugby Championship match between Melbourne Rising and the Western Sydney Rams. This was a must-win for Melbourne, if they had any hopes of not only a finals berth, but also…

Super Rugby returns this weekend after a 4-week hiatus with the touring Stormers set to take on the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park.  There hasn’t been much to smile about in Melbourne lately, not in Rugby circles at least. With the English winning the Cook Cup series at AAMI Park in Melbourne, on their way to a wash of the white variety, we also had the embarrassment of a torn-up AAMI Park being paraded all around the world as an example of Victorian turf standards. Flash-forward a few weeks, after the Rebels and ARU made threats to the MOPT about…

The ACT Brumbies travelled to Melbourne to take on the Rebels in their quest to secure their position at the top of the Australian Super Rugby conference. THE MATCH Welcoming back several injured players, the Melbourne Rebels went into this match full of intent. They touted do-or-die battle with the ACT Brumbies as their “Grand Final”. Certainly, with a tough final 6 games left in their fixture, a loss here to the Rebels would all but rule out a finals berth in 2016. The Brumbies came into this match without experienced backs Joe Tomane, Matt Toomua and Robbie Coleman. This paved…

The Melbourne Rebels are wanting to get their 2016 campaign back on track at AAMI Park this Friday after a disappointing outing in Round 8 against the Hurricanes. The other night I had a disturbing dream; I dreamt that the Rebels were playing against the Hurricanes in a giant sandpit and the Hurricanes stole the Rebels ball and wouldn’t give it back. But I digress… The AAMI Park Groundsmen.  Lots of game time last week. A week after being schooled in all things Rugby by the Hurricanes from Wellington 38-13, the Rebels return again to their home ground (read “beach” )…

The Melbourne Rebels have taken out the bonus point win after a 35-9 dominance over the Sunwolves in Tokyo. THE MATCH The Sunwolves had not disgraced themselves in their first two outings, so the possibility of their first win against the Rebels was not out of the realms of possibility. After all, the Rebels had travelled some 30,000km this season, so fatigue was a big factor in this match. Wet conditions at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium kept the previous big crowds away, but there was still a respectable 16,444 local and travelling Rebels fans. Up for grabs was the inaugural Ganbette Trophy,…

The Melbourne Rebels are looking to break their 10-game drought in South Africa with a win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria this Saturday. The Rebels had their first win against the Bulls from South Africa in 2015 at AAMI Park. Some (read “Bulls fans”) say the Rebels were lucky to get the close 21-20 win, due to a controversial no-try call against the Bulls that denied them the win, but the records say otherwise and it currently stands at 3-1 to the men from Pretoria.   After starting off their 2016 campaign with a 6-point victory over the…