The Rebels 35-14 win over the Cheetahs last night was their biggest ever in Super Rugby

Rebels Media Release –

After an intense pre-season and three successful trials, the Melbourne Rebels have secured an impressive 35-14 win over the Cheetahs.

The Rebels were attacking early in the match, piling on the pressure in the opening minutes, and the first try of the game came at the five minute mark. A steal at the lineout lead to a brilliant 50 metre run from fullback Jason Woodward. The Cheetahs’ defence was then broken, with the ball travelling by hand across the ground, where Lachlan Mitchell stood alone on the wing and the Foundation Rebel dotted down, with Woodward missing the kick.

And the second try wasn’t far away. Strong attack allowed Tom English to come millimetres from the line before being dragged down, with Captain Scott Higginbotham taking the quick tap with clever improvisation for a cross field kick. The ball landed in the hands of Woodward, who had the crowd on their feet when he grounded the ball for a try, however once again he was unable to convert.

Flyhalf Bryce Hegarty then took his first Super Rugby kick from a penalty on halfway, the ball drifting left of the posts. The home side refused to let the pressure down with two minutes to go, allowing scrum half Luke Burgess to find a gap for the Rebels’ third try of the night. Hegarty extended the half-time lead to 17-0 with a successful conversion on the buzzer.

The Cheetahs looked refreshed after the break with the visitors pushing hard on the line, allowing reserve Jean Cook to cross for their first try. Goosen converted to close the gap to ten points on the 45 minute mark.

The Rebels were quick to move back into the attack, with lock Hugh Pyle breaking the line and carrying the ball into the Cheetahs’ defence before being dragged down just short. Next to go close was hooker Pat Leafa, who was held up as he crossed the line. Scott Fuglistaller was then yellow carded for striking Jean Cook, giving the Cheetahs a one-man advantage in the second half.

Even with the Rebels a man down, there was no relenting in attack as they continued to push hard. The Cheetahs, after regaining possession, turned it over metres from the line and allowed the Rebels to run the ball coast to coast in a matter of seconds. A beautiful pass from former All Black Tamati Ellison allowed Bryce Hegarty to find space for a 20 metre run and his first try of the night. Before coming off for Angus Roberts, Hegarty converted for the second time of the night to extend the lead back to 17 points with 19 minutes to go.

Luke Burgess clears the ball for the Rebels

The Cheetahs hit right back after a high tackle from Ellison gave them the opportunity to score their second try of the night. The visitors appeared to cross the line, and a TMO confirmed the score to Ryno Barnes. Goosen’s kick put the Cheetah’s back within 10 points, with as many minutes left in the match.

Roberts’ penalty attempt a few minutes later fell short, however he soon redeemed himself with the first ever drop goal in the history of the club.

Hugh Pyle was next to go close for what looked like the fifth try of the night, until the TMO denied the lock of his moment of glory due to a knock on in the lead up. However, with only a minute left on the clock, the Rebels earned a penalty from the scrum and Roberts extended the score to 30-14. The Rebels then put the icing on the cake, a turnover allowing Captain Higginbotham to cross minutes after the siren. An unsuccessful conversion from Roberts was no problem for the Rebels, as they secured their biggest ever victory, 35-14, and their first ever win over the Cheetahs.

Coach Tony McGahan was impressed with the win, crediting team work and camaraderie, however warned that there is still room for improvement.

“I’m really delighted for the players; they have a great belief in each other,” he said. “We certainly set the tempo early for a strong team performance. It was just a really pleasing team effort. Everyone from one to 15 came on and played there part. The guys really scramble well for each other and that’s a really good indicator of their spirit and their mateship.

“We’ve certainly got a lot of work to do though, certain parts of our game plan, both technical and tactical, we need to work on. We’ve got the force next week and it’s always tough over there.”

The Rebels travel to Perth next week to take on cross country rivals the Western Force on Saturday night.

Rebels 35 (Jason Woodward, Bryce Hegarty, Luke Burgess, Lachlan Mitchell, Scott Higginbotham tries; Bryce Hegarty 2 cons; Angus Roberts pen, dg) defeated Cheetahs 14 (Jean Cook, Ryno Barnes tries; Johan Goosen 2 cons)