The Melbourne Rebels have secured a second win in the 2024 season, with a bonus point win over Moana Pasifika in Hamilton on Friday night.
Conditions were ideal for Head Coach Kevin Foote’s ball-in-hand rugby, with the visiting Rebels scoring five tries to two, with the real feature being the Rebels' defence in their own 22m and late game scrummaging.
The rapid Kellaway opened the scoring early in the contest, with the Rebels ahead five minutes in, his footwork leaving the Moana Pasifika players disconnected on the edge.
Halfback Ryan Louwrens exposed the same touchline of FMG Stadium with a sniping try on the short side, with the defending team focused on main pivot Carter Gordon.
The Rebels pack were not be outdone by the backs, with open side flanker Vaiolini Ekuasi dotting down a five pointer on the line, after shifting to the number 8 position.
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On either side of half time the Rebels' defences were tested with scoreboard pressure coming from multiple William Havili penalties, two tries and long defensive sets.
The Rebels' resilience and ability to work hard without the ball and manage the contact zone effectively, led by Josh Kemeny with a team-high 16 tackles with no misses and the damaging Lukhan Salakaia-Loto showing his physicality.
Reward was given to patience as the Rebels locked down any further Moana Pasifika threat and used their dominant scrum to relieve any field position pressure.
Handling the pressure gave rise to opportunity, with multiple scrum penalties giving openings to capitalise in attack. The first, a Lachie Anderson finish off the back of a powerful scrum, not afraid to mix in with the forwards when needed.
The second, to put the game out of sight saw Kellaway linking up with Glen Vaihu on a one-man overlap, with Moana having two in the bin for infringing the Rebels attack to finish on 29 points.
Hosting rivals, the Queensland Reds in Round 4 at AAMI Park on March 15, the squad will be full of confidence after this week’s win in Hamilton. Keen to put in a comprehensive 80-minute effort on both sides of the ball and a show for their home fans, the Rebels have the much needed momentum for the clash.
Tries: Kellaway, Louwrens, Ekuasi, Vaihu, Anderson
Cons: Gordon 2/4, Tuttle 0/1
Tries: Craig, Savea
Cons: Havili 2/2
Pens: Havili 3/3
