Review - Melbourne Rebels 0 - 35 British & Irish Lions

Once the test series starts on a Lions tour, it can be pretty hard to keep the mid-weekers motivated.  Traditionally coaches have tried to counter this with promises of potential Test-spots that are about as believable as a Bill Clinton response to an allegation of sexual deviance, or simply by telling the guys at the start of the tour that they've got no chance of playing a Test match and so they may as well just get on with it, a la Graham Henry and Clive Woodward.  And we all know how well that strategy went down.

But, in this Tour, there genuinely feels like there is something up for grabs with each game, particularly with players dropping as quickly Jordan's knickers (due to injury, rather than potential bedroom antics, of course).  After a 1st Test victory there were plenty of areas for improvement – could Murray or Youngs displace the ineffectual Mike Phillips, could Tuilagi provide more ballast in the midfield, could Lydiate provide a harder edge than Croft in the back row?  All real questions that the Lions mid-weekers would have been desperate to answer.

Don't think, though, that this was simply an internal exercise of showboating and self-promotion to impress Gatland and his crew – there was a match to win and pride to restore, after the meek loss to the Brumbies in Canberra the week before.  The Rebels may not be the strongest of the Super Rugby sides but they are improving fast, and are amongst the most tenacious of teams out there – especially at home.  Ask big sides like the Chiefs, the Crusaders or the Reds, who have all struggled to put them away, despite being superior on paper – and don't mention the Rebels to the Stormers or the Waratahs, who have both been turned over by the Melbourne outfit in recent weeks.  Despite missing guys like James O'Connor, Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps and the superb Scott Higginbotham, they have a phenomenal team-ethos that is determined by the grafters amongst them, with the likes of Mitch Inman, Gareth Delve and Hugh Pyle all up there with the best.  There was no chance that they would allow this one to become a non-event.

And it certainly didn't seem as if the visitors were treating this as a damp squib either, as from the off the hosts went onto the attack.  Manu Tuilagi looked hungry for the ball and made yards in the middle, before strong carrying around the fringes pulled the Lions up to the Rebels, where Owen Farrell plopped a lovely delayed pass into Sean O'Brien's hands, only for Brad Barritt to miss the following offload from the big Irish flanker – had he collected it, he'd have been under the posts.

The next 10 minutes were a tale of faltering set pieces, with Hibbard missing his next 2 lineouts and the Rebels' scrum disintegrating following good pressure from Ryan Grant and Dan Cole, which allowed the tourists to clear their lines comfortably after a brief spell of pressure from the Melbourne outfit, created by some booming yet precise kicks from Jason Woodward and stalled by sloppy handling from Luke Burgess.

The tourists, though, seemed comfortable, and it was refreshing for Lions fans to see Owen Farrell standing flat and dictating play beautifully with the good platform his pack was creating.  The breakthrough eventually game after another Tuilagi burst gave the men in red front foot ball, before Barritt dabbed a delightful grubber kick through for Sean Maitland to chase, which was covered superbly by Woodward but gave the Lions a 5-metre scrum.   From that position, there was only ever going to be one outcome – the Lions' pack blasted their way forward but Toby Faletau was held up, only for Conor Murray to wriggle his way over when the ball squirted out for a well-taken score.  Farrell nudged over an excellent conversion to give the tourists a 7 point lead.

The Lions continued to look like the dominant outfit in the game, but they were consistently denied by little mistakes – with Cole and O'Brien both fumbling in promising positions – and big defence, with Mitch Inman, Gareth Delve and Hugh Pyle all contributing with a couple of rib-ticklers.  The resistance could only last for so long though, as the force of nature that is Tuilagi burst through Delve's attempted tackle, held off 3 tacklers and offloaded to Maitland who scooted towards the line and fed Faletau.  For the second time, the Welsh number 8 went close – this time slipping on his way to the line – but the ball was recycled quickly and fed via Simon Zebo to the looping Maitland, who touched down for one of the tries of the tour.  Farrell once again added the extras.

The Rebels were unable to get a foothold in the game, with Ian Evans proving to be a menace in the lineout and Richie Gray and Dan Lydiate tackling themselves to a standstill.  The Lions were looking sharp in attack too, with Farrell showing good vision to take a quick tap and put Zebo away down the left, and the magical Irishman bamboozled one defender before delaying the return pass to Farrell too long.  The halftime whistle went and the Lions were content with a lively, if scrappy, first half display which saw them hold a 14 point advantage.

The second half opened in the same way the first finished, with plenty of promise but a bit to be desired on the execution.  A loose pass by Farrell following a quick tap help up a move that was looking promising on the left, whilst another O'Brien fumble close to the line following a lineout cost the Lions a potential try once again.  Farrell, though, was continuing to impress with his ambition, and Rob Kearney nearly went over following an audacious outside-of-the-boot chip that was only just gathered by Tom English ahead of the Irish 15.  It was a brief respite though, as this time a lineout move did come off, with slick hands from Lydiate giving O'Brien the chance to step inside the defence and dive over for a well-worked score.  Farrell was once again flawless with a difficult conversion, and the Lions led by 21-0.

Ten minutes later, it was more Lions' lineout dominance as they gained good field position thanks to the non-stop work of Faletau with the ball in hand.  This time, as they blustered their way to the line following a catch-and-drive, the Rebels hauled down the red pack mid-maul, prompting referee Glenn Jackson to award the penalty try.  Easy pickings with the boot for replacement Stuart Hogg – on for Farrell – as well.

It was perhaps ironic that the second half scores were all down to the most-maligned aspect of the tourists' game so far in Australia – the lineout.  And it proved to be the case again 8 minutes from time, when substitute Tom Croft took a superb take at the tail of the lineout and popped the ball down to fellow replacement Ben Youngs, and the Leicester 9 scored a trademark try – dummying the defence and accelerating his way past the cover for a fine solo score.  Another easy kick for Hogg took the score out to 35-0, and that's how it stayed.

Job well done for the Lions, with several players impressing in this 'interview' for the second test.  The mid-week side can be proud of finishing an injury-plagued tour on a high with a comprehensive win, but they'll all openly be hoping that their tour doesn't end here.  Because the real job is still to come.

Rebels Player Ratings

Jason Woodward – 8 – Some delightful moments with the boot and enterprising moments in attack...as well as the occasional howler.  The classiest player in the Rebels’ backline.

Tom English – 6 – A creditable and tenacious display.  Made his tackles and worked hard to cover ground when the defence was stretched.  Little chance with the ball in hand though.
Mitch Inman – 7 – Some strong moments in defence and some quick feet showed why the centre is on the cusp of receiving international recognition
Rory Sidey – 5 – A quiet game.  He had his hands full in defence with Barritt and Tuilagi and was unable to make too many dents on the rare occasion he did get the ball.
Lachlan Mitchell – 7 – Quick and intelligent play by the ex-Wasps man.  Had a good battle with Maitland and joined the line with some good effect.
Bryce Hegarty – 4 – Unable to get his side moving forward and was painfully predictable in attack.  All too often he was content to hurl a long pass backwards miles away from the gainline.
Luke Burgess – 5 – A bit of a nothing display by the man who’s just returned from France.  He’s known for being a tenacious and lively scrum half but he offered next to know attacking threat here.

Nic Henderson – 4 – Destroyed at scrumtime and struggled to have an impact in the loose.  Regained some credit in the second half with a couple of reasonable carries.

Ged Robinson – 4 – Was part of a dominated front row and the lineout wasn’t especially reliable, either.
Laurie Weeks – 5 – Was more apparent in the loose than his propping colleague and did manage one first half penalty off Ryan Grant in the scrum which was a rare victory.
Cadeyrn Neville – 6 – A mobile display but was unable to make any sort of dent in proceedings.  Not physical enough.
Hugh Pyle – 7 – A couple of promising gallops caught the eye and never stopped working throughout.
Jarrod Saffy – 5 – A disappointing showing from the flanker who is normally so reliable.  Was turned over too easily and won’t have enjoyed being handed off by a replacement scrumhalf.
Scott Fuglistaller – 7 – Made a nuisance of himself, especially as the game wore on, and several of his interventions probably helped prevent tries.
Gareth Delve (capt) – 7 – Left grasping at thin air when attempting to tackle Tuilagi in the first half but he won’t be the last.  A physical and dedicated performance impressed fans on both sides and one hit on Ryan Grant in particular was brutal.

Subs used

Pat Leafa – 5 – Lineout didn’t particularly improve with his introduction
Cruze Ah-Nau – 6 – The scrum seemed a little more solid and he threw himself into contact when he came on
Paul Alo-Emilie – 6 – Surprisingly mobile for a big bloke.  A couple of decent hits caught the eye.
Luke Jones – 7 – One gallop in particular got the crowd on its feet, but he may want to work on his kicking skills
Jordy Reid – 6 – Abrasive and physical but he wasn’t able to stem the Lions’ pack
Nic Stirzaker – 7 – I guess if you’re that ginger you have to be fast.  This kid looked lightening though and threatened well around the fringes
Angus Roberts – No time to make an impact
Cooper Vuna – 6 – Looked lively and enthusiastic but was well shackled by Maitland.

 

Lions Player Ratings

Rob Kearney – 6 – A solid display without being spectacular.  This will probably be his last showing of the tour and he’ll be frustrated that injury has prevented him from showing his best form.

Sean Maitland – 7 – Some dodgy decisions but he worked tremendously hard, none more so than we he deservedly scored after helping to create the tourist’s second try.
Manu Tuilagi – 7 – A powerful return.  A couple of busts, offloads, decent passes and – shocker – a cheeky grubber showed that the English centre is ready to be called on for Test duty.
Brad Barritt – 6 – Does what he does very well.  Tackles, tackles and tackles.  Always secures the ball in contact and is a good safe option to have in a chaotic Lions game.
Simon Zebo – 7 – Must have been doing something right to get a name chant going.  Some fantastic footwork certainly caught the eye but perhaps he should have put Farrell away in the second half?
Owen Farrell – 8 – His best display of the tour.  He has gotten better with each game and some lovely passes, chips and vision showed that he does have a decent skillset in the locker.
Conor Murray – 7 – It didn’t always go his own way with some sloppy handling errors but he worked hard and took his try well.
Ryan Grant – 6 – Turned over a couple of times in contact but scrummaged well on the whole, although he will be annoyed at conceding a penalty.
Richard Hibbard – 8 – Showed how capable he is on his day.  Some bruising carries – especially in the second half – complemented an all-action defensive diplay and, aside from an early wobble, a reliable lineout.
Dan Cole – 7 – Scrummaged well and, although he didn’t win any turnovers, made enough of a nuisance of himself to slow the Rebel’s ball right down.
Richie Gray – 8 – His best showing of the tour.  His work rate in the tight and in the loose was superb and a couple of powerful gallops got the Lions on the front foot.
Ian Evans – 7 – Another quietly effective display.  His intelligent play in the lineout was a constant thorn in the Rebels’ side.
Dan Lydiate – 7 – The chopper gave another understated display characterised by a colossal defensive effort, but he was let down by some poor hands and isolated carries on occasion.
Sean O'Brien – 7 – Another to excel in terms of work rate, but this time the Irishman’s hands let down his strong carrying and tackling work on occasion.
Toby Faletau – 9 – A real statement to Gatland.  He was everywhere and we finally saw, for the first time in a year, some real conviction on the carry.  He will be pushing Heaslip very hard for that shirt.

Subs used

Rory Best – 6 – Throwing in was decent, which was a great improvement from last week

Tom Court – 6 – Did not look out of place on his Lions debut and showed some nice hands
Matt Stevens – 6 – A couple of decent trundles helped the Lions build momentum
Tom Croft – 7 – Wonderful work at the back of the lineout and superb defence late on showed just why he is so valuable
Justin Tipuric – 7 – Seems to have been the best player not spoken about this tour.  Made another telling impact with a couple of sharp turnovers.
Ben Youngs – 7 – An impressive cameo.  Superb vision and speed to score off a lineout and service was crisp.
Billy Twelvetrees – 6 – Played at 12 and 10 and didn’t do anything wrong in either position.
Stuart Hogg – 6 – Must be seriously annoyed they keep playing him at 10.  He looks so much more dangerous at 15.