The Melbourne Rebels ran in thirteen unanswered tries against a Samoan side that tried hard but were clearly out of their depth.
Despite a few first choice players still missing the Rebels fielded a near full strength team captained for the first time by Sean McMahon.
The Match
The first half started with Adam Thomson forcing a penalty with his first action in a Rebels jersey. The ball was shifted quickly to the left wing for an unmarked Reece Hodge to score with his first touch of the footy. Mike Harris slotted the conversion to make the score 7-0 inside sixty seconds.
Five minutes later, Ben Meehan scored the Rebels second after a fine break from Jordy Reid. It was already obvious that this Samoan team were not going to provide the “competitive hitout” that we were hoping to see.
The Samoans chased hard and hit the breakdown enthusiastically but, their defence had no structure. On the few occasions they won possession, struggled to cross the gain line.
Samoa’s only real opportunity to score came well into the half with a penalty goal attempt that missed.
The first half ended with Hodge’s second try following a penalty, a line out and some razzle-dazzle passing. Half time score: 38-0.
Despite regular substitutions, the second half played much the same as the first. The Rebels found their way to the try line regularly and Samoa struggled for any possession or territory.
The final play of the game saw the Rebels earn another penalty and opt for a line out after the siren. Dom Shipperly scored the final try which was converted by Dan Hawkins. Final score: 85-0.
Despite the lop-sided score the Rebels will take plenty of positives from this game. The set piece play was very good on the back of a dominant scrum and line out. Steve Cummins was particularly strong, stealing numerous opposition throws. Two tries were scored from rolling mauls. The defence was well organised and attacking combinations generally worked well.
On the negative side, the work around the breakdown was often untidy and several passes were thrown behind the man. At least three opportunities for tries were bombed through poor passes or handling errors.
There has been some debate regarding the Rebels’ preseason trial game strategy; next Saturday’s away game against the Force will be a much better indication of how this new look team is shaping up.
The Details
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]
Rebels: 85
Tries: Hodge (2), Meehan, Debreczini, McMahon, Reid, Ellison, Placid, English (2), Ah Nau, Snowden, Shipperly
Conversions: Harris 6/9, Hawkins 4/4
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Samoa A: 0
[/one_half]
Cards & citings
None
Crowd: 6,206
