Melbourne Rebels end Western Force’s five-match winning run with grinding victory at AAMI Park

MELBOURNE Rebels have brought Western Force’s fairytale run to an end with a grinding six-point victory at AAMI Park.

Japanese hooker Shota Horie had a standout game for the Rebels.

MELBOURNE Rebels put the brakes on Western Force’s winning run with a hard-earned 22-16 victory in their Good Friday Super Rugby clash at AAMI Park.

The Rebels made amends for their early-season humiliation at the hands of the Force and stopped the Perth franchise’s surge at five successive wins.

It was Melbourne’s third win and was much needed after back-to-back losses in New Zealand and with the bye next round.

They did it the hard way, dominating the first half everywhere except on the scoreboard with the teams locked at 6-6 at halftime. The Rebels had 62 per cent of possession, a massive 502 run metres compared to the Force’s 207 and made only 39 tackles compared to 96 for the visitors.

They didn’t get across the tryline until the 61st minute, relying on the boot of fullback Jason Woodward kicking penalties. That try came after skipper Scott Higginbotham took the ball from the back of their scrum and charged over.

The Melbourne scrum earned bragging rights over their rivals while lock Luke Jones continued to push his claims for a Wallaby call-up, making a game-high 16 runs.

The Force, missing halfback Alby Mathewson (ankle), lock Sam Wykes (rib) and winger Luke Morahan (hamstring), also struggled to bag a five-pointer with five-eighth Sias Ebersohn keeping them in the game.

The Rebels defended well, only giving up a try when a man down after the final siren.

They hammered hard early in the second half, getting within centimetres of the tryline but the home side’s defence held up and they ended up taking three points for a ruck penalty.

The Force looked out of steam on the back of their winning run, which included the scalp of the NSW Waratahs last round.

Higginbotham’s converted try extended their lead to 19-6 and the early workload started to take its toll on both sides with the error toll mounting.

Woodward brought his personal toll to 17 points - five penalties and a conversion - before Force winger Nick Cummins crossed after the siren to ensure an all-important bonus point.

Higginbotham said the win was overdue after a run of close losses, including to the champion Chiefs last round.

He praised the scrum for laying the platform; all the more impressive after losing starting prop Laurie Weeks 16 minutes in with concussion.

“The scrum was fantastic and we really built on that,” Higginbotham said.

“The boys had a tough time in New Zealand so to come back here and really put it on, it was good for them.

“It was time for us to get a win.”

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