Author: Stuart Fazakerley

Melbourne Rising winger Sefanaia Naivalu carved out a little bit of history earlier today, signing on the bottom line of a 2 year contract with the Melbourne Rebels. The Fijian-born back, who plays for Box Hill in the Victorian Dewar Shield, became the first player to be signed to a Super Rugby club as a result of his performance in the three-round-old National Rugby Championship. Naivalu also becomes the first player to be signed to Super Rugby directly from the southern capital’s local competition. It caps a remarkable year for the 22-year-old, who was the leading try-scorer in the Dewar Shield – crossing the line seventeen times -…

The Melbourne Rebels have earned their second wooden spoon in four years of Super Rugby, suffering a 40-7 drubbing at the hands of the Bulls in Pretoria. The Match The Bulls got the first points on the board in the seventh minute, after the Rebels were caught offside at the breakdown. Handre Pollard converted an easy kick to give the Bulls a 3-0 lead. The Rebels missed a chance to even the ledger three minutes later, when Jack Debreczeni sent a penalty wide. The Rebels were keeping pace with the Bulls, and took the momentum when Paul Willemse was yellow…

The Melbourne Rebels remain winless on foreign soil, letting a second-half lead slip to lose 34-17 against the Lions in Johannesburg. Both teams went into the game chasing records. The Rebels were without a win overseas in their four years of Super Rugby, a black mark the franchise has struggled to erase from their history. The Lions, returning to Super Rugby this year after earning promotion against the Southern Kings, had the chance to turn in their best season ever with a sixth win. The Match The Rebels started poorly, conceding a try from a turnover in just the second…

The Queensland Reds made an awful Melbourne Friday night even more so for the Rebels, a four-try first half setting up a 36-20 win at AAMI Park. The Rebels were farewelling AAMI Park for season 2014, and with it, Jason Woodward and Hugh Pyle, both playing their final home game for the club. The Reds were without both Quade Cooper and Will Genia for the first time since 2008, and, with their slim finals hopes – as well as those of the Force and Waratahs – in their hands in coming games, in desperate need of an end-of-year lift. The…

The Wallabies have claimed six wins on the trot for the first time since 2005, but Mon Dieu, they did it the hard way, winning 6-0 in an Etihad Stadium oddity. The Match The promise of free-flowing, uncompromising rugby shown by the Wallabies in Brisbane was not enough to bring Melburnians out in their droves, with a sparsely populated crowd of 27,189 greeting the teams at a near freezing Docklands. In a week where Australia got a new captain in Michael Hooper, it was an old one, James Horwill, who led the hosts onto Etihad Stadium, the former captain claiming…

The NSW Waratahs deservedly hold top spot in the Australian conference after a six-try demolition of the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park Friday. The Rebels were coming off a controversial last-minute win against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium the previous week, the club’s first competition victory in, or against, Queensland. A repeat performance against the Waratahs would give Melbourne their first sweep of conference opponents in a season, having also defeated the Force and Brumbies in 2014. The Waratahs were on a high after putting five tries past the Lions in a 41-13 mauling, their attacking style of play shown…

Discipline proved the difference between the winners and losers on Friday night, the Rebels having nobody to blame but themselves for a 25-15 loss to Hurricanes at AAMI Park. The Rebels were struggling to convert brave defeats into something more tangible, their tally of three wins not commensurate to the team’s improvement and expectations. The Hurricanes had the opposite scenario – breezing through the preliminary stages of Super Rugby, their momentum had been halted by a terrific Waratahs side in their previous match. The Match There were worrying signs for the home team in the warm-up, with star Jason Woodward…

Diabolical refereeing and a failure to capitalise on possession cost the Melbourne Rebels a memorable victory against the ladder-leading Sharks, going down 22-16 at AAMI Park Friday. The Rebels were returning from a bye after scoring their third win for the season against the Western Force on Good Friday. The Sharks were beginning their tour of Australia and New Zealand after their domestic form, save for a shock loss to the Highlanders last round, had taken them to the top of the Super Rugby table. The Match The start looked ominous for the Rebels, with the first attacking chance from…

The Melbourne Rebels have brought the Western Force’s five-game winning run to an end, with a hard-fought 22-16 win at AAMI Park on Good Friday. The Rebels had enough reason to fight for a win, returning home after two close losses in succession, their good form frustratingly left unrewarded. The Force, however, came to Melbourne on the back of a five-match winning streak, the rejuvenated franchise sitting in fourth overall and a serious consideration for finals. The Match The Rebels dominated the first forty minutes, leading every statistic at half time – except the scoreboard. The first half was tight,…

The Chiefs have seen off the Melbourne Rebels 22-16, in another cruel loss for the visitors, at Hamilton on Saturday The Chiefs were warm favourites to see off the visiting Rebels, despite accusations of a lack of respect following wholesale changes to their starting fifteen. The Rebels had gained a consolation point last week against the Highlanders, but many would argue it was inadequate reward for their equal parts enterprising and frustrating play. The Match The Chiefs were dominant from the beginning. Despite conceding possession after the kick-off, the hosts won it straight back when they trapped Laurie Weeks in…

The Highlanders edged the luckless Melbourne Rebels 33-30, in a game of attrition at Forsyth-Barr Stadium on Friday The visitors had come off a massive upset against the Brumbies, and, despite a growing injury list, were confident that their first international Super Rugby win was around the corner. The hosts sat mid-table in the New Zealand conference and were returning to what had been a happy hunting ground for them, under the glass at Dunedin. The Match It was an inauspicious start for the Rebels, with flyhalf Bryce Hegarty assisted from the field after two minutes, landing awkwardly on his…

The Melbourne Rebels overcame their own worst instincts to register a vital 32-24 upset win against the Brumbies at AAMI Park Friday. The home side had been making a lot of noise in the week leading up to the match that this match would decide their season, one that had faltered through four consecutive losses. The Brumbies were, conversely, going for their fifth-straight win, and points against the Rebels would cement them at the top of the Australian conference. The Match The Rebels attempted to make a statement in the opening play, opting to take on the Brumbies’ scrum at…

The traditional NSW/Victoria rivalry enters its fourth Super Rugby year tomorrow night, with the Melbourne Rebels travelling north to face the Waratahs for the Weary Dunlop Shield. With the Waratahs leaving Canberra with little more than an invoice for a new window, and the Rebels’ pre-season hype quickly giving way to middling reality, both teams will be looking to kick their season back into gear with a win over the other. I sat down with Waratahs tragic Braveheart81 for a gentlemanly, fact-driven discussion around this key Super Rugby match. [one_half last=”no”] WARATAHS ARE GOING TO WIN The Waratahs will be hurting from…

The surefire boot of Tom Taylor led the Crusaders to a comfortable, if uninspired, 25-19 win over the Melbourne Rebels in a dour affair at AAMI Park on Friday. The Melbourne Rebels were desperate to atone for the embarrassment they suffered at the hands of the Western Force in Perth the previous week, with coach Tony McGahan reverting to the same line-up that had powered past the Cheetahs in their season opener. The Crusaders, meanwhile, were looking for their first away win of the campaign, the side beginning to click into gear following a slow start to the season. The…

Lids across the southern capital are struggling to remain in situ this morning. With a dominating victory, whose 35-14 scoreline flatters the disappointing visitors, the Melbourne Rebels may finally be delivering on their goal to win back this city. It was glorious. Eighty minutes of rugby so well structured, so effective, so incredibly dominating, that I am still not entirely sure it happened. The Melbourne Rebels – a team who could be described in such variances as also-rans, honest triers, five-point byes – took to the field on Friday night and demolished a Cheetahs side that they had no right…

The Melbourne Rebels have completed one of the greatest comebacks in Super Rugby History, turning a 31-7 half-time deficit into a 38-37 win at AAMI Park. These Rebels. You’ve got to love them. Billed as a farewell match, the Melbourne side needed to pull off a win befitting the contributions of the likes of Damien Hill, Gareth Delve and Cooper Vuna. Though nothing but pride was at stake, the pressure was on the Rebels to deliver a fifth win, one more than their 2012 tally. Importantly, success would mean a third consecutive competition win at home, crucial in the efforts to make…

UPDATE: Ewen McKenzie will be unveiled as the new coach of the Wallabies as soon as tomorrow, with several news outlets reporting that Robbie Deans’ contract with the ARU has been terminated six months early. It is being suggested that McKenzie’s contract will see him lead the national team until after the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. Ewen will face a challenging task in his new role, turning round a Wallabies outfit demoralised by the Lions Tour defeat, and with several players out of form and, in the case of James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale, without a Super Rugby…

On the 30th of June, 2001 – a little under 12 years ago – the British & Irish Lions defeated the Wallabies 29-13 at The Gabba in Brisbane. It’s amazing how much has changed since then. Wikipedia was five months old. Christopher Skase was alive. Ansett was still around, and if you were flying to any of the Tests, the pilot would probably let you have a look in the cockpit if you asked nicely enough. It’s incredible how much the world changes in front of you, so quickly that you hardly notice it. The most insignificant of events can…

The Melbourne Rebels have defeated the NSW Waratahs for the first time in history, lifting the Weary Dunlop Trophy.

An undermanned Melbourne Rebels outfit ticked a few boxes on their way to a 30-21 win over the Stormers last night at AAMI Park. After three years, they finally saluted against a South African opponent. A feat they accomplished by – for the first time – playing eighty minutes of solid rugby. It has been a hard month for the AAMI Park faithful, seeing snippets of promise cancelled out by poor starts, inauspicious finishes, and rookie mistakes. All through this time, the Rebels have claimed to be almost there, one or two steps away from becoming a challenger. On Friday…