Melbourne Rebels beat Stormers 30-21 in rare win

UNDER-MANNED underdog Melbourne Rebels recorded a landmark 30-21 victory over the Stormers.

DAMIEN Hill has praised an under-manned Melbourne Rebels after unheralded talent carried the Super Rugby underdog to a landmark 30-21 victory over the Stormers.

Elated after watching Melbourne post its first win over South African opposition after 11 previous failed attempts, Hill hailed a Rebels team expected to fail.

Unable to select Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor, Cooper Vuna, Richard Kingi and Angus Roberts, Hill instead placed his faith in a string of young players, notably rookie flyhalf Bryce Hegarty.

And his trust was repaid spectacularly when the Rebels piled on the last 10 points of the match after Nick Phipps was awarded a penalty try to topple the 2012 minor premier in a dramatic finish.

It was a remarkable turn of events for a team that had lost its four previous matches by three, four, six and four points, respectively, against class opponents.

Asked if the win was even more special because of the absence of four internationals, Hill said the commitment of a relatively obscure team was outstanding.

"I've just said to the players that they've got to view this in the context of the last five weeks," Hill said. "They've played exceptionally well over the past month and just barely lost.

"Today, that extra 10 minutes of composure led to a win. These last five games, they've played exceptionally well. That 2-3 percent improvement this week has led to that result.

"They finished top of the ladder last year, the Stormers, so to knock them off is a really fantastic effort by the whole organisation.

"It just puts things into perspective in regards to the value of the team and the strength of a performance when there's 15 players united and on the same page.

"It was outstanding for young Bryce (Hegarty) to step up and do what he did tonight. 'Stirzy' (Nick Stirzaker) had a solid performance as well. Kimami's (Sitauti) first appearance off the bench added value. There were a lot of positives out tonight."

Melbourne officials last night would not comment on suggestions the club would ask for possible eye-gouging claims to be investigated after lock Hugh Pyle suffered a cut eye.

In match full of niggle, the Rebels held their nerve - and composure - against heavyweight foes to post their first win.

Relieving pressure on Hill after shattering losses to the Kings, Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues, the Rebels soaked up relentless pressure from the Stormers to succeed.

The match turned contentiously in the 74th minute when Phipps was awarded a penalty try after he was illegally restrained by Stormers hooker Martin Bezuindenhout when sprinting after a loose ball near the Stormers' line.

Television match official Matt Goddard instructed referee Mike Fraser to award the try - and Bezuindenhout a yellow card - to tilt the match in Melbourne's favour.

Fullback Jason Woodward's conversion - and subsequent penalty - saw the Rebels scramble to the most famous win of their 44-game career.

Captain Scott Higginbotham was again outstanding. "This is fantastic," he said.

"We hung in there and played a great brand of footy. It's a great, positive thing for the boys."

rebels v stormers

Stormers captain Jean de Villiers, while gracious to the Melbourne players, was less than enamoured with the Stormers' performance.

"That was embarrassing," he said. "From a team point of view and a captain's point of view, it's not good enough."

Melbourne's defensive consistency was the foundation stone of the epic win. Statistics showed Hill's team missed only 13 tackles against huge opposition.

Just as crucial was Melbourne's fine start. Usually sluggish at the outset, Melbourne's attacking flair had the Stormers scrambling.

Tries to Higginbotham, the impressive Hugh Pyle and Phipps countered those by Louise Schreuder, Bryan Habana and Andries Bekker.

Trailing 13-14 at half-time, Melbourne endured a frenetic Stormers' onslaught after the restart - and then got on top.

rebels v stormers

Inspired by a string of try-saving tackles on their own line, Melbourne grew in confidence after a jolting Rory Sidey tackle turned the tide.

Then came Phipps' match-turning penalty try, quickly followed by Woodward's icing penalty.

Unsurprisingly, given the amount of hardship Melbourne has endured this season, the final siren triggered unbridled - and deserved - jubilation.

Three things we learnt about the Rebels

1. Nic Stirzaker brings a different style to scrumhalf than Wallaby Nick Phipps. More inclined to kicking, Stirzaker - like Phipps - has an impressively high work rate. His speed at the scrumbase unbalanced heavier opponents. Had the temerity to throw a behnd-the-back pass (it was deemed forward) in his first run-on start.

2. Jarrod Saffy's renaissance continued with another industrious display. Revelling against heavy-bodied opposition, Saffy ran, tackled and supported to the point of exhaustion.

3. Hugh Pyle and Cadeyrn Neville's stellar form carried Melbourne to the brink against the Stormers. Both players, who recently re-signed with the Rebels, must surely be in Wallaby calculationss for a slice of the action in this season's 14 Tests.

MELBOURNE REBELS 30 (1 penalty try) (Scott Higginbotham, Hugh Pyle tries Jason Woodward 3 cons 3 pens) bt STORMERS 21 (Andries Bekker, Bryan Habana, Louis Schreuder tries Joe Pietersen 3 cons) at AAMI Park. Referee: Mike Fraser. Crowd: 10,333
 

rebels v stormers