Author: Mr Wobbly

This week, the Melbourne Rebels travel across the ditch to Dunedin, to take on the Otago Highlanders at the Forsyth Barr reserve. This will be a battle between two desperate teams, both coming off loses, both with points to prove. FORM Embed from Getty Images A Rebels win in 2019 The Highlanders have shown us some mixed results in 2020. After an opening round bye they were thrashed at home by the Sharks 20-42. In Round Three they beat the Brumbies in the little town of Canberra, in a nail-biter 23-22, courtesy of an extra-time try. Their 13-33 loss against…

The winless Melbourne Rebels host the winless Waratahs in their first home game this season, Friday evening at AAMI Park. The prize in this uninspiring fixture is to not be last placed in the competition, for a week at least. And the Weary Dunlop Shield is on the line, of course. FORM Embed from Getty Images A poor start hurt the Rebels last week Both of the Rebels opening games, against the Sunwolves (36-27) and the Brumbies (39-26), followed a similar pattern. They leaked far too many points early in each game before closing the gap somewhat in the second…

What does a team need most when they are desperately clinging on to a chance to make the finals for the first time? If you answered, travel to Christchurch to play an angry Crusaders team, well frankly I think you would be wrong. That is though what the Melbourne Rebels have to face this Saturday evening. FORM Embed from Getty Images The last three weeks have seen the Rebels bullied by the Bulls at home, scorch the Sunwolves in Tokyo, and wobble against the Waratahs in Melbourne. Last week’s loss to the Warratahs was particularly tough to take. The Rebels,…

The Melbourne Rebels maintained their position at the top of the Australian conference with a hard earned win against a resiliant Queensland Reds team that refused to give up on a cold, wet, and windy night in Melbourne. Earlier in the season it looked as though the Rebels would comfortably win the conference but three consecutive losses have opened the door for the Reds or Brumbies to sneak past. The Reds had won five of their last seven games and would have believed they could make it three in a row with a win at AAMI park. Embed from Getty…

This week the Melbourne Rebels travel to the Republic of South Africa to take on the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg. A win by any margin would be a great result for the Rebels while the Lions need a win to stay in touch with the conference leaders. FORM Losing Grand Finalists for the past three seasons, the Lions have had a reasonably tough start to 2019 with two wins from four matches. They opened their season with a win in Buenos Aires against the Jaguares then suffered losses against both the Bulls and Stormers. Last week they defeated the Jaguares…

Despite conceding a host of penalties and two yellow cards, The Melbourne Rebels earned their third win of the season against a disappointing A.C.T. Brumbies at AAMI Park. With both sides making several changes to their previous week’s line-ups, most of the pre-game discussion focused on whether the Brumbies would overpower the Rebels forwards. No two teams have more contrasting styles than these. The Brumbies basing their game around winning penalties and using their lineout, scrum, and maul to smash their opponents. It makes for an interesting match up against the Melbourne Rebels who like to play a flat, high…

The new Super Rugby season is finally upon us and I for one am getting tingly all over. Will this be the year that the Melbourne Rebels establish themselves among the competition’s top sides? 2018, in a nutshell Just in case you missed last season… Expectations were high at the beginning of the 2018 year and the team did not disappoint. They started the season with a bang winning four of their first five games with bonus points. The win at home against the Sharks provided a real highlight. For a short time the Rebels actually topped the competition ladder,…

It’s a warm but windy day at St Patrick’s College in Ballarat, today’s venue for the match between the Melbourne Rising and the Sydney Rays. With both teams out of contention for a finals place they should be looking to finish the season on a high with a win in this the final round of the 2018 National Rugby Championship. The struggling Sydney side have been bolstered with the inclusion of Wallabies Nick Phipps and Rob Symmons. The Rising are missing a couple of key players through injury. First Half The first half was a tight contest with momentum switching…

A classic confrontation – a team with nothing to lose against a team with much to lose. The Queensland Reds will be playing for pride and trying to avoid the wooden spoon. The Melbourne Rebels are desperate to reach the finals for the first time and need a win to sure up their chances. FORM Last week the Reds had a tough night at the office, in a game that was even tougher to watch, going down to the Blues 39-16 at a cold Eden Park. Before the test break, and following their humiliating loss against the Sunwolves, the Reds…

The Melbourne Rebels host the Human Communications Sunwolves for the first time this week at AAMI Park. The Sunwolves have traveled from the stifling heat of Hong Kong to the cooler climate of Melbourne with a very different team to the side that defeated the Stormers last start.  This is a crucial game for the Melbourne Rebels to win if they are to remain in contention to play finals this year. Embed from Getty Images FORM Prior to last week’s bye the Rebels snapped a five game losing streak with a hard fought win against the Brumbies. Early in the…

“A highly entertaining game of rugby between two quality teams that went right to the final whistle…” That’s the sort of introduction I has hoping to write about tonight’s game; the reality was somewhat different. The Rebels hung in valiantly until half time, heading into the sheds just three points in arrears. After half time they were completely dominated by a far superior and better coached Crusaders outfit. First Half Embed from Getty Images After three minutes it was three – nil to the Rebels, courtesy of a Jack Debreczeni penalty goal. It took until just the seven minute mark…

This week the Melbourne Rebels travel to the Republic of South Africa to take on the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria. Can the Rebels finally break through for their first win on South African soil or will the Bulls continue their recent form and extend the Melbourne side’s misery? FORM The Bulls have won three and lost four matches in 2018. After losing four games in a row their recent form has been good, earning convincing wins against both the Sharks and Stormers either side of their second bye. With 14 points after seven games the Bulls sit in second place…

Here we are, finally. It’s Round 7 of Super Rugby 2018 and, for the first time this season, we have a trans-Tasman clash. The Super Rugby leading Melbourne Rebels play the form New Zealand side, the Hurricanes at AAMI Park. FORM Both sides recorded impressive wins last start, the Rebels made short work of the Sharks at home while the Hurricanes put an end to the Highlander’s undefeated run. The Hurricanes have an impressive record against the Rebels. The last five games between the two sides have all gone the way of the New Zealanders, with an average margin of…

The Melbourne Rebels return to AAMI Park with their collective tails between their legs after a poor showing against the Waratahs in round 5. The Robert du Preez and Sons team are also licking their wounds after losing to the Brumbies in a dour, two-try apiece match in Canberra. FORM The two teams have played five times previously with the Sharks winning all but once. The last time they played was in Round Nine, 2017 at Kings Park. That thrilling game ended with both sides on nine points after a late penalty goal from Reece Hodge secured the draw -…

With the bye next week the Melbourne Rising would be looking to end their season on a high. The Country Eagles are chasing a bonus point win with a finals berth still up for grabs. Unfortunately, I’ve written this review from the Fox Sports replay as I was unable to attend the game. Thanks to some technical difficulties, we join the action just shy of the 28-minute mark with Country leading seven points to five. First Half Apparently, Brandon Paenga-Amosa opened the scoring after seven minutes with a try from a driving maul. The Rising got onto the board with a…

Both the Melbourne Rebels and the Queensland Reds will be looking at this game as an opportunity to restore some pride and keep alive their remote, but mathematically possible, chance of playing finals – or at least not finishing last on the table. If there is one thing that the recent Reds Vs Waratahs and Rebels Vs Brumbies matches proved it’s that two evenly matched teams can provide an exciting contest; even if those teams aren’t particularly good. The Rebels will be bolstered with the return of Colby Fainga’a after injury. Sean “Mad Dog” McMahon has been named on the…

The Melbourne Rebels will be hunting for their first ever win in South Africa when they conclude their tour of the Republic this weekend against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth. In their only previous encounter, the Kings were victorious in Melbourne. They won 30-27, thanks to an 83rd minute drop goal from Dimitri Catrakilis. In 2013 the Rebels had only been in Super Rugby for two seasons and the Kings were the new kids on the block. Four years later, both teams face an uncertain future with the likelihood that at least one of them will not have a…

With their backs to the wall and an injury list as long as your arm, the Melbourne Rebels desperately need a win to restore some pride. The Rebels’ owners made a strong statement this week, could the players also make a strong statement on the park? Against the bottom team, the Brumbies would have gone into this game sniffing a bonus point win to extend their lead at the top of the Australian conference. Embed from Getty Images Congratulations, Laurie Weeks – 100 Super Rugby games First Half In the first minute of the game the Rebels were awarded an…

The Melbourne Rebels, with improved performances in the past couple of weeks, should have gone into this game with a positive mindset. The Highlanders would be desperate for a good win to help them stay in touch with their conference’s leaders. First Half Oh no. Only 18 seconds into the first half and Steve Cummins is on the ground holding his head after an attempted tackle on Luke Whitelock. Cummins is straight off to fail a H.I.A. and is replaced by Dominic Day. The Highlanders earn the first chance to score with a scrum penalty against the feed. Marty Banks…

After being routed in the first two rounds most predicted another slaughter for Melbourne’s Rebels against New Zealand’s top side, the Waikato Chiefs. In an entertaining and hard fought encounter at AAMI Park, the Rebels surprised many with their aggressive game and were still a chance to snatch the win until a late surge from the Chiefs. FIRST HALF In the first action of the game, the Rebels let Damien McKenzie’s kick off bounce and the Chiefs regained possession. To an audible sigh of relief, the Chiefs knocked the ball on and no damage was done. Consecutive penalties to the…