Melbourne Rebels scrumhalf James Tuttle believes their breakthrough win over the Fijian Drua can help the side turn around their fortunes, starting with Friday's clash with the Western Force.
The Rebels will enter the contest at HBF Park refreshed and rejuvenated after the first win of 2022 and the bye.
Tuttle, who earned his first start since 2020 in the 42-27 victory, believes the break came at the perfect time for the struggling side as they start to build momentum.
“We started not how we planned to start the season, but we had a much-improved performance against the Waratahs in Sydney and then we played our perfect game plan for our Drua game,” Tuttle told reporters.
“That was probably the most pleasing thing finishing that six-week block and gave us a good freshen up so we had into this week fresh and rejuvenated.
“When you start strong, it brings in belief and the energy really lifts.
“We saw that every time we won a scrum penalty, the boys were around each other. Every time we scored a try the boys were around each other.
“That was something we probably went away from in the earlier parts of the season so it was great to perform the way we did so then we were able to celebrate together and enjoy the small wins on the field, which then again, boosts the energy.”
The Rebels enter this week hungry for back-to-back wins after a demoralising round two defeat to the Force.
The contest signified their long-awaited return home but the Victorian-based side barely fired a shot, recording zero clean breaks and just three points.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Tuttle said bluntly about their previous fixture.
“We’ve already had a look at the footage and it’s great we play them again this season so we can see the missed opportunities from our end.
“We’ve got a nice little plan in place, hopefully we can go a bit better than round two."
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As their extensive injury list starts to clear, Tuttle believes the exposure the likes of Tamati Ioane and latest debutant Daniel Maiava have received at the Super Rugby level will only be beneficial for the club's future.
“There were nerves initially from the young guys... but it’s been great and I think it will help us, in the long run, playing them early in the season to give them individual confidence and confidence in the group that they can go out and perform at a Super Rugby level," he added.
“We’ve seen this from Josh Canham, Daniel (Maiava) last week, Tamati (Ioane), who in his first season has been in a highlights package in every game and Lukas Ripley played two outstanding games at 13.
“We’ve got guys coming through who have trained exceptionally hard through pre-season and they’ve been able to go out, trust their ability and perform at a Super Rugby level, which has been a big positive.”
