Struggling Melbourne Rebels have 11 days until their next game and expect to be ‘flogged’ at training

THE struggling Melbourne Rebels have the early season bye and won’t play again for 11 days. They are expecting to experience plenty of pain on the training track.

IT IS going to be a long 11 days for the Melbourne Rebels.

That’s how long the struggling Super Rugby team has to wait to play its next game given it has an early season bye this week.

Coach Tony McGahan said he will give his players “one or two days down” before getting back to work.

Captain Nic Stirzaker suspected the team is about to “get flogged” on the training track.

In losing 56-18 to the Auckland Blues in Round 1 and 71-6 to the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday, the Rebels have conceded the most points of any side this season and have also scored the least.

Things won’t get any easier when they do get back on to AAMI Park on Friday week, as they will be faced with another daunting Trans-Tasman challenge.

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By the time the Waikato Chiefs arrive in Melbourne they could have a perfect 3-0 record, having already defeated the Otago Highlanders (24-15) and the Blues (41-26).

This Friday they play the Hurricanes at home.

Rebels captain Nic Stirzaker in action against the Hurricanes on Saturday.

If there is one beacon of hope for the Rebels it’s that all of the other Australian teams have lost at least once in the opening two games.

Given the start made by the respective conferences it appears more likely than not that the only finals spot available for Australia’s sides will be for the winner of its pool.

It means the March 24 clash against the Waratahs at AAMI Park is already looming large, especially as a trip to Dunedin to play the Highlanders looms the week after that, not to mention a two-game South Africa trip in the second half of April.

McGahan was understated when he insisted his team has “got more in us” to give.

“But we need to deliver that,” McGahan said.

“We certainly haven’t over the last two weeks.

“We’ll have one or two days down and then we need to get back to work.

“We need to start executing and hang on to the ball and make sure we can do something with it.

“We’re unable to mount some consistent enough pressure, which subsequently would take some heat off the defence and allow us to stay in the mix.”

The Rebels were competitive for the first 15 minutes against the Hurricanes, before falling away sharply.

It was much the same against the Blues and Stirzaker questioned why the team can’t execute for 80 minutes.

“Not a great time for a bye, I daresay we’ll get flogged during the week,” Stirzaker said.

“There’s plenty to do.”

Originally published as Struggling Melbourne Rebels have 11 days until their next game and expect to be ‘flogged’ at training