The Rebels have played the Stormers six times in Super Rugby since 2011. Melbourne has once, drawing while losing five of the encounters.
The Rebels one win gives them a record of winning 17% of their matches against the Stormers regardless of where they have played.
- The Stormers have won five of their previous six Super Rugby games against the Rebels including their last three on the bounce by an average margin of 19 points.
- The Melbourne Rebels have won their last three Super Rugby games on the bounce on home turf; the last time they won more was a four-game spree in mid-2015.
- The Stormers have gone into the sheds level at half-time of each of their last two Super Rugby games in Australia but have gone on to lose both of those fixtures.
- Robbie fleck’s side has lost all three games on tour, losing 11 of 12 away.
- The Rebels have conceded the most penalties per game of any team this campaign (13) and average nearly one yellow card per game.
- Only the NSW Waratahs’ Michael Hooper (102) has made more tackles in Super Rugby 2019 than Cape Towns’ Pieter-Steph du Toit (89).
Match detail
We are waiting for the kickoff.
In the meantime why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in Melbourne, Australia.
3.00: The Rebels go 10 phases, but it’s all a bit sideways before Luke Jones knocks on. The Stormers win the turnover, and Jean-Luc du Plessis sees space behind the Rebels and boots the ball down the field.
4.00: TRY! Dillyn Leyds puts on the jet-burners, shooting past Billy Meakes and Will Genia and racing into the Melbourne 22. Quade Cooper tried to catch the flyer but gave up, and Leyds opens the scoring. 0-5
5.00: CONVERSION! Du Plessis adds the extras. 0-7
7.00: Some good offloading by the visitors as they try to punch their way down the field.
8.00: The Stormers turn the ball over, but Cooper kicks a bomb back to the tourists. Both teams are struggling to assert dominance with the boot or hold onto the pill.
9.00: Sam Talakai’s knock on ends a long series of play where each team gave away possession cheaply.
10.00: Talakai collapses the scrum under pressure from Steven Kitshoff, who is captaining the South Africans for the first time.
11.00: Fleck’s side is pinged for a deliberate knock down; Sergeal Petersen is the guilty party. Cooper kicks to the 22, but the Rebels lose possession after the lineout.
12.00: It’s very scrappy out there. The Stormers’ defending has been solid, forcing the home team to go to ground and not allowing them to offload in the tackle.
13.00: The referee penalises Angus Cottrell for playing the ball on the ground. Du Plessis boots the ball downfield.
14.00: Mbongeni Mbonambi goes to the back of the lineout to Jaco Coetzee. The Stormers go a couple of phases before some superb work by Ross Haylett-Petty, who wins the turnover, allowing his team to exit their 22.
16.00: Genia finds touch with another clearance.
17.00: Du Plessis’ little offload is forward to Coetzee, giving Melbourne an attacking scrum inside the South African’s 22. The standoff is then caught offsides. Cooper kicks to the corner. Cooper looked offsides from the scrum, though.
18.00: Another penalty goes against the Stormers for collapsing the maul. Copper kicks out, again.
20.00: The Rebels are going through the phases but are being pushed back by the Stormers, who force an error after 13 phases. A kicking battle ensues.
21.00: Oh dear, the visitors lose the kicking duel, putting the ball out on the full. The Cape side is not punished because of a wayward throw, although, the ref has caught the tourists offsides, again. It looks another harsh call against the Stormers. Cooper calls for the tee.
23.00: PENALTY! Cooper puts the Rebels on the board. 3-7
24.00: superb work from Mbonambi. The hooker wins the penalty because Adam Coleman was isolated at the breakdown. Du Plessis calls for the tee, too.
25.00: PENALTY! Du Plessis slots the penalty. 3-10
26.00: Ruhan Nel tries an intercept; he knocks the ball into the arms of Petersen, who races away before being called back by Mr Fraser. Scrum to the Rebels, just outside the opposition’s 22.
28.00: Leyds gets back and defends Genia’s grubber expertly. The Stormers cannot clear, and the Rebels are camped inside their 22.
29.00: Cooper’s kick is not held by Semisi Tupou. All he had to do was hang on to the ball, and it was a try for all money because Petersen was nowhere. The South African did just enough to put the winger off.
30.00: Big scrum from the Rebels’ front row leads to a scrum-penalty. Cottrell wants a lineout.
31.00: It’s a solid defensive effort by the visitors. They are slowing down the ball and pushing Dave Wessels’ men back.
32.00: After all that, 15 phases of using the forwards around the corner, the Rebels go to their backs, but Meakes loses the ball forward in contact.
34.00: Some strong defending by the tourists. It’s 80 tackles to 18, so far in favour of the hosts. Du Plessis clears from the scrum to the middle of his side’s half.
35.00: OH DEAR! Another silly mistake by the Stormers as Kitshoff takes his eye off the ball, knocking on. It’s a good opportunity for Wessels’ men; they have the scrum on the opposition’s 10-metre line.
37.00: Great work by Coetzee. The No 8 won the turnover, setting his side away. Damian De Allende fended off two defenders before shifting to Leyds. The flyer is hit high, which earns his team a relieving penalty.
38.00: All Coetzee’s previously excellent work is undone with a loose carry by the number eight. Scrum to the Rebels on their 10m.
39.00: A wonderful free-flowing backline move between Genia and Cooper sets Tupou away. However, the winger knocks on in contact. Fleck will be happy with his side’s rush defence, but more so the scramble defending.
40.00: Cooper is playing flat and hitting the line at pace, albeit from a slightly offside position at times. The scrum is reset after the hooter sounds.
41.00: Leyds clears to touch. Immaculate from the Stormers on D.
The halftime score was Rebels 3 Stormers 10
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in Melbourne.
41.00: TRY! OH DEAR! Du Plessis throws a nothing long pass to Damian Willemse, but Reece Hodge, last week’s hat-trick hero intercepts, and scores under the posts for his 14th try at AAMI Park. 8-10
42.00: CONVERSION! Cooper levels. 10-all
43.00: Coetzee is down after a hit on Hodge. He’s being helped from the field and is in some distress.
45.00: Willemse gathers Tom English’s kick inside his goal area and dots down for a 22 drop-out. Cooper knocks on, scrum to the Stormers.
47.00: TRY! Juarno Augustus gets his maiden Super Rugby score after taking Willemse’s pass on the left wing. Leyds put Willemse in the hole, he straightened and raced into the Melbourne 22, held Genia before sending Augustus away. 10-15
49.00: CONVERSION! Du Plessis splits the uprights from out wide. 10-17
51.00: A couple of changes to both sides before a Rebels’ lineout on halfway.
52.00: TRY! De Allende takes Leyds’ out-the-back door offload and races away for his fourth try in four games against the Rebels. Leyds’ fancy footwork put him through a gap before drawing the defenders and popping to his teammate. 10-22
53.00: CONVERSION! Joshua Stander has taken over kicking duties since Du Plessis left the field. 10-24
56.00: Siyabonga Ntubeni breaks off the back of the rolling maul and goes to halfway. The ball is recycled quickly and kicked in Cooper’s direction. The flyhalf, defending at fullback, knocks on after a bad bounce and the ball ends up in the arms of Blitzboks legend Ruan Nel for the try. 10-29
57.00: CONVERSION! Stander adds another two. 10-31
59.00: The Stormers earn a penalty, and will go for posts.
61.00: PENALTY! WOW! Stander’s long-range kick bounces onto the crossbar and through the sticks for three. 10-34
63.00: The Rebels are being reduced to a rabble; they have no width and cannot deal with the visitors’ intensity.
65.00: NO TRY! Petersen breaks into the 22, the ball is sent up and Nel comes down with it to score his second; however, the referee wants checks with the TMO for a foot in touch, which is confirmed. 10-34
68.00: TRY! Genia scores after a lineout move involving Jones before being substituted off for Michael Ruru. 15-34
69.00: CONVERSION! Cooper adds the extras. 17-34
72.00: STAT ALERT: The Stormers have made 135 tackles to 38 and only had 15% territory and 31% possession.
74.00: STAT ALERT: The Stormers have scored almost half of their season’s tries in one game, tonight.
77.00: TRY! Campbell Magnay crashes over in the corner after Marika Koroibete’s smart work on the sideline. It was Cooper’s sleight of hand that put Magnay away. 22-34
78.00: CONVERSION! Cooper makes no mistake. 24-34
79.00: TRY! Nel at the double! Hodge’s pass is intercepted by the sevens specialist and that will be that. 24-39
80.00: CONVERSION! Stander brings up the forty-burger. 24-41
81.00: The hooter sounds, and Leyds kicks it into touch.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Rebels 24 (3) Stormers 41 (10)
Scorers
Rebels
Tries – Hodge, Genia, Magnay
Pen – Cooper
Con – Cooper (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Stormers
Tries – Leyds, Augustus, De Allende, Nel (2)
Pen – J. Du Plessis, Stander
Con – J. Du Plessis (2), Stander (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant Ref 1: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant Ref 2: Rasta Rasivhenge
TMO: James Leckie
Teams
Rebels
15 Reece Hodge, 14 Semisi Tupou, 134 Tom English, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Angus Cottrell (captain), 6 Luke Jones, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Robbie Abel, 1 Tetera Faulkner.
Replacements: 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Matt Gibbon, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Esei Ha’angana, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Richard Hardwick, 22 Michael Ruru, 23 Campbell Magnay.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Jaco Coetzee, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Ernst van Rhyn (Stormers debut), 5 Cobus Wiese, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Johan du Toit, 20 Juarno Augustus, 21 Justin Phillips, 22 Josh Stander, 23 Seabelo Senatla.
