The Melbourne Rebels logged a 42-25 win in their inaugural Super Rugby game against the Hurricanes in 2011, but they have lost all seven of their meetings in the competition since (by an average margin of 30 points per game).
The Hurricanes have won 16 of their last 17 Super Rugby games against Australian opponents (L1), including a 64-48 win over the NSW Waratahs in the opening round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman 2021.
- The Rebels last Super Rugby game in New Zealand ended in a 28-22 win over the Highlanders in Round 5 of the 2020 Super Rugby season; they will now hunt for back-to-back wins in New Zealand for the first time in club history.
- Melbourne was kept try-less in the opening round of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, the fourth time they have failed to score a try in a Super Rugby game in 2021 – more times than all other teams combined (x2).
- Marika Koroibete has made more carries (20) and beaten more defenders (11) within his own 22m zone in Super Rugby since the beginning of 2021 than any other player.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in Wellington, New Zealand.
3.00: The opening sequence of the game lasted 2 minutes 42 seconds as both teams won and lost turnovers. Eventually, the Hurricanes win a penalty and kick to the Rebels’ 22.
5.00: Cameron Orr wins a crucial turnover on his line to get his team out of trouble.
7.00: Isi Naisarani is caught offside, Jordie Barrett kicks to the corner. The Canes go to their driving maul, but it collapses after Du’Plessis Kirifi drops the ball at the back of the maul. The Rebels should have had a penalty for accidental offsides. That’s very poor officiating.
10.00: The Hurricanes are camped inside Melbourne’s 22. The penalties are mounting.
11.00: Truck and trailer by the hosts from the lineout drive – after a balk from Dane Coles – comes to nothing as the visitors survive.
13.00: Matt To’omua is pinged at the ruck, Barrett kicks to the opposite corner as the Canes look to claim some points for all their pressure.
15.00: YELLOW CARD! Cabous Eloff is off after another series of infringements on the Rebels’ line. 0-0
17.00: Jordie Barrett flings a long pass to Julian Savea, but the Bus cannot get past Marika Koroibete, who tackles him into touch.
19.00: The Rebels win a penalty on the halfway line and can finally get out of their half.
20.00: TRY! Julian Savea intercepts a stray Joe Powell pass and races 50 metres to score under the posts. 5-0
21.00: CONVERSION! Barrett adds the extras. 7-0
22.00: Melbourne wins a penalty on the opposition’s 22, Matt To’omua calls for the tee.
23.00: PENALTY! To’omua puts his side on the board. 7-3
24.00: TRY! Billy Proctor scores under the posts. Ngani Laumape set up the score after stepping through two defenders and making a break from halfway before playing the supporting Jonathan Taumateine, who sent Proctor away. 12-3
25.00: CONVERSION! Barrett adds the two. 14-3
27.00: Eloff’s card cost Melbourne two converted tries for a net loss of 11 points.
31.00: Matt To’omua kicks a scrum penalty to the corner.
33.00: The Hurricanes manage to hold up the Rebels’ driving maul – that is poor game management by Joe Powell, who should have called for the ball.
35.00: The Rebels have kept the ball well, going through 13 phases; however, possession is lost to Barrett, who begins a counter-attack from his half.
37.00: The Hurricanes go from 22 to 22, but Devan Flanders’ speculative chip-kick bounces out into the in-goal. Melbourne is on the ropes.
39.00: Another Joe Powell mistake sets up an attacking scrum inside the Rebels’ half before the break.
40.00: Isi Naisarani wins his team a critical penalty at the ruck near the try line to keep the visitors in the contest.
41.00: To’omua knocks on as the hooter sounds.
The halftime score was Hurricanes 14 Melbourne Rebels 3
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway at Sky Stadium in Wellington.
44.00: The Rebels have started the second stanza better than they did the first, but they keep making poor decisions with the ball-in-hand.
47.00: TRY! Michael Wells scores in the corner to get his team’s first try of the tournament. It came from a scrum, the Rebels went nine phases, getting over the advantage line, keeping the hosts reeling before the Canes ran out of defenders. It’s all Melbourne since the break. 14-8
49.00: MISS! To’omua’s kick is no good. 14-8
53.00: It’s a bit scrappy by the Canes, but errors from the Rebels keep the hosts on the front foot.
54.00: SO CLOSE! Wes Goosen reaches out for the try line but he is short. Wells made the tackle on Goosen before the cavalry arrived to win the visitors a much-needed penalty.
55.00: TRY! Julian Savea has a brace after taking Proctor’s deft offload following the centre’s break. The try came from Du’Plessis Kirifi’s magnificent counter-ruck at the breakdown to win the turnover. 19-8
56.00: CONVERSION! Barrett knocks another one through the uprights. 21-8
58.00: It’s all Rebels at the minute.
60.00: TRY! Campbell Magnay breaks several tackles before carrying two defenders to the line to score. 21-13
62.00: MISS! To’omua’s kick hits the post. 21-13
65.00: TRY! Orbyn Leger’s pin-point crossfield kick lands in Goosen’s arms to allow the winger to fall down and score. 26-13
67.00: CONVERSION! Barrett slots the touchline conversion. 28-13
70.00: The Rebels are in this, they need to score soon though.
73.00: TRY! Asafo Aumua kills the game as a contest after a counter-attack that went the length of the field. 33-13
74.00: CONVERSION! Orbyn Leger makes no mistake. 35-13
78.00: The game is winding down here, the only thing the Rebels can play for is pride; that and to take away the bonus-point.
81.00: Another mistake by the Rebels allows the Canes to boot the ball out, and hang on to the five points.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Hurricanes 35 (14) Rebels 13 (3)
Scorers
Hurricanes
Tries – J. Savea (2), Proctor, Goosen, Aumua
Pen –
Con – J. Barrett (4), Leger
Drop –
Cards –
Rebels
Tries – Wells, Magnay
Pen – To’omua
Con –
Drop –
Cards – Eloff (Yellow, 15′)
Match Officials
Referee: Graham Cooper
Assistant Ref 1: Paul Williams
Assistant Ref 2: Angus Mabey
TMO: Greg Newman
Teams
Hurricanes
15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Wes Goosen, 10 Orbyn Leger, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Devan Flanders, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Dane Coles (captain), 1 Xavier Numia
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18 Alex Fidow, 19 Liam Mitchell, 20 Brayden Iose, 21 Gareth Evans, 22 Cam Roigard, 23 Lolagi Visinia
Rebels
15 George Worth, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Campbell Magnay, 12 Matt To’omua (captain), 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Joe Powell, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Joshua Kemeny, 6 Michael Wells, 5 Trevor Hosea, 4 Robert Leota, 3 Cabous Eloff, 2 Jordan Uelese, 1 Cameron Orr
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Matt Gibbon, 18 Lucio Sordoni, 19 Ross Haylett-Petty, 20 Richard Hardwick, 21 James Tuttle, 22 Stacey Ili, 23 Frank Lomani
