Author: KevinO

The Melbourne Rebels hung on for a historic win, beating the Highlanders 28 – 22. The Melbourne  Rebels travelled to Dunedin for a must-win clash for both sides who only had one win each for the season. First Half For the first time this season ,the Rebels hit the ground running and jumped out of the box with rapid speed. Dominating from the first whistle it only took till the 8th minute before the Rebels were able to convert pressure into points when Billy Meakes bullied his way over the Highlanders line. A few minutes later Rangi added to the scoreboard…

The new Super Rugby season is finally upon us and I for one am getting a little excited for the season ahead. Will this the Melbourne Rebels 10th season finally be the year that we can crack the finals hoodoo. 2019, in a nutshell Just in case you missed last season… Expectations were high at the beginning of 2019. The Rebels started the season with a bang winning their first 3 games and having 6 wins by the halfway mark of the season. The Rebels actually topped the conference ladder until the end of the 12th round and maintained a position in the top…

The Rebels host the Waratahs in a battle for a spot in the finals. It’s that time of year again; the week all Rebels fans have been waiting all season for, the week the team we love to hate graces AAMI park with their presence. It’s the Rebels v Waratahs week, Mexico v Trump, Melbourne v Sydney. It’s time for the Weary Dunlop Shield to return south of the border, where it belongs. Let’s face it, with three games to go whoever loses this one’s season is over, both sides are fighting for the chance to play finals, and can’t afford…

Can this game get more important for the Rebels? A win here and they go 11 or 12 points clear of the Waratahs in the battle of the Australian conference before the first encounter of the two teams next week. Form The Rebels are coming off the back of two bonus point wins in Australia since returning from a tough tour of South Africa where they could only manage a losing bonus point. The Stormers have had a horrible tour losing all 3 games on the road so far and failing to really make an impact in the last two…

The Rebels continue their tour of South Africa this week in Durban where they face the Sharks. Both sides coming off disappointing losses last weekend. The last time these two sides meet in Durban they played out a 9 all draw, all I can say is that I expect to see more points than that by half time in this one. Form The Rebels form is a bit hard to tell, they won there first three games of the season, two wins over the Brumbies and one against a Highlanders side missing a few All Blacks. They lost last week…

The Rebels travelled to South Africa looking to continue their winning start to the 2019 Super Rugby season against the Lions. The Match First Half The Lions started well with Malcolm Markes scoring a try in the 5th minute off a sneaky line out move, Jantjies missed the conversion from out wide. That was the end of the Lions good news in the first half, the Rebels struck back quickly in the 7th minute with Reece Hodge crossing in the corner, Cooper missed the conversion and scores were levels, a couple of minutes later the Rebels turned the ball over…

The top of the table Brumbies travel to Melbourne for the most important game of the home sides season. With the club fighting for their future the players now need to stand up and show their commitment and put together a 80 minute performance. The Brumbies are coming off a very impressive win over the Queensland Reds, with the scores all level at half time the Brumbies managed to score 33 points to nil in the second half. While the Rebels are coming into the game after their second bye, the bye was perfect timing as they would have struggled…

The Sydney Rays took full advantage of a first half gale and walked away from Frankston oval with a vital win to secure a home final next weekend. Rising hosted their final game of the NRC at Frankston Oval, in Melbourne’s south east, for the second year in a row.  Conditions were tricky, due to the high winds.  I have been to many rugby games but never seen anything quite so windy.  When you can see the birds flying backwards you know it’s going to be a tough day for Rugby. Both teams struggled with the gusty conditions especially in the…

So the 2016 season is over, and the Rebels writers have put together an old school report card for the players and coaching staff. Results are an average of the grades from each of the writers; some writers are more generous than others. But all in all the results seem pretty fair on the performances of each player. Introducing your Melbourne Writers. Props: [one_half last=”no”] Toby Smith C+ He has a solid set piece and good running game. We feel he could have done more. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”] Laurie Weeks B- Reliable, but injury struck at the wrong time.  The Rebels looked…

Delving into 2016, how did the Aussie conference as a whole match up within itself, and then against New Zealand and South Africa?

 This will be a massive game on Friday night for both teams as they look to take advantage in the tight Australian Conference. It’s the only meeting between the two teams this season. Both teams are in the middle of a three way battle for top spot with a place in finals on the line already. The Rebels have been successful against all Australian opposition this season and will be looking to add the Brumbies to the list, while the Brumbies have had some mixed results recently losing a couple of games to Kiwi opposition in recent weeks before  a…

Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 6. Western Force lost to the Highlanders on the road, The Brumbies were smashed by the Chiefs and the Rebels took the Weary Dunlop back to Mexico. But who made the team of the week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Toby Smith Loosie with a meat pie, enough said [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Hugh Roach Tough position to choose, gone with Roach for his efforts in defence. (Token Waratah) [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Tetera Faulkner [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 4. Luke Jones One of the best games his played in a while,…

The Highlanders continued their Australian tour with a trip to Melbourne to face the frequent flying Rebels, who were coming off a good win on the road in Japan. The Match The Highlanders looked good from the start of the game and dominated the early exchanges at AAMI Park but could not find a way through the Rebels’ defence. In the 22nd minute the Highlanders finally put a try on the scoreboard after a piece of good fortune when Rebels fullback, Jonah Placid, gifted Rob Thompson the ball when he could not control a high kick from Aaron Smith. The…

The 2016 Six Nations is over; so now it’s time for some of the talking points: 1. England Claim Grand Slam It was the first time in 13 years that England won every game in the tournament; no one expected the Poms to turn around their form so soon after their horrible World Cup. Eddie Jones has performed a small miracle with a short lead time. Given what he has managed in this period Michael Cheika and the Wallabies will not be taking the test matches against England in June lightly. Wales finished second, and Ireland ended up third after…

Here it is – the G&GR writers’ Super Rugby team of the week for round 3. Western Force hosted the  top of the ladder Brumbies while the Reds travelled to Melbourne but couldn’t come away with a win, But who made the team of the week? [one_third last=”no”] 1. Scott Sio No one real stood out in the Loosie ranks this weekend, have gone with Sio for his better defense. [/one_third] [one_third last=”no”] 2. Stephen Moore Captained the Brumbies well, good all round game. Brumbies fans must be dreading the thought of him moving North next season. [/one_third] [one_third last=”yes”] 3. Laurie Weeks…

Can the Rebels make it win number two for the season?  Can the Reds win their first match for the season? Round Three of Super Rugby continues on Saturday night when the Melbourne Rebels play host to the Queensland Reds.  Kickoff is at 7:30 Local time, or 6:30pm if you live in Queensland. [one_half last=”no”] The Rebels are looking to get back to winning form as they return to AAMI park for the first time in 2016. The Rebels have been on the road for the first two weeks of the season and return to Melbourne with one win and one loss.…

With three rounds down and two to go in the RBS 6 Nations, let’s revisit some of the interesting happenings of last weekend. 1. THE RACE SO FAR England remain the only team in the hunt for a Grand Slam after Round 3, although their two remaining games are against Wales and France, the two other teams in contention for the title. Wales ended France’s Grand Slam hopes on the weekend and go into the England game sitting a close second with two wins and a draw. The title race is close, and has the possibility of  the 6…

Saracens are having a vintage year and making rugby history, but  for all the wrong reasons. A lot of unconfirmed hype has been flying around the European rugby circles that Saracens has now become the most indebted club in rugby history. According to the Daily Mail, the club now has a estimated debt of a staggering £45.1m. (A$91m).  This makes the ARU’s financial position look quite manageable. They report further that Saracens’ club chairman, Nigel Wray, admitted – tongue in cheek – that  the club could make cuts to the playing roster to save money, and finish 11th, but he…

The Melbourne Rebels invited their 2016 Members to watch an open training session, meet the players and hear from Coach Tony McGahan. The session was held at IKON Park.  The ground has an interesting history; it has been formally known as Visy Park, MC Labour Park, Optus Oval and, Princes Park.  Ikon Park is AFL club Carlton’s ground and training base for the Rebels. It is a medium sized stadium with a capacity of around 27,000. In the past the ground has hosted an Ashes test match, a couple of NRL games and an Opera.   The last AFL match…

Argentina proved that the introduction into the Rugby Championship has paid it’s dues, they are the real contenders and took no mercy on this wounded Irish team. First Half With both teams looking nervous from the kick off it was Argentina struck first in the 3rd minute when Moroni scored  in the corner after a good kick chase put them on the front foot. Argentina dominated the first 10 minutes of play and scored their second try through a great chip kick that Imhoff won the chase for and made no mistake getting the ball down in time. In the 12th…