Melbourne Rebels perfectly placed to break South African duck

FOR Tony McGahan there is no escaping the opportunity that is in front of his Melbourne Rebels side as they look to score their first win on South African soil.

Melbourne Rebels v Samoa trial game at AAMI Park, Jack Debreczeni pushes off Lester Sefo to score. Melbourne. 18th February 2016. Picture: Colleen Petch.

FOR Tony McGahan there is no escaping the opportunity that is in front of his Melbourne Rebels side against the Bulls.

There was no cliche responses from the Rebels coach, nor any attempt to play down the significance of the clash with the Bulls in Pretoria.

The Rebels have lost all 10 of their previous games in South Africa.

But in their one and only trip to the Republic this season, McGahan’s mob is intent on creating history.

“We’re really excited about that,” McGahan said.

“We’ve talked about it and made mention of it in the pre-season.

“We’ve got a keen alertness to what is open to us this weekend playing the Bulls.

“We thought we closed the gap a little bit last year, but just let ourselves down with two intercept tries against the Sharks and the Stormers that left us with a little bit to do.

“But I think the mindset of the group, especially with a little bit more experience around (given the off-season recruiting) ... that really gives the group a strong belief about what we can do.

Jack Debreczeni returns for the Rebels clash against the Bulls. Picture: Colleen Petch.

“Certainly a win over here would be a huge positive injection in to the club but also for a young playing group.”

For what is a second consecutive game on the road, it has been an interesting build-up for the Rebels.

The group would be buoyed by its gutsy win over the Force last week, but also back on its heels slightly owing to the long-term injuries suffered by fullback Mike Harris (quad) and Colby Fainga’a (elbow), the severity of which McGahan admitted “floored” him initially.

But the Bulls aren’t without problems of their own.

On the back of a poor 2015, the three-time Super Rugby champion crashed to a heavy defeat against the Stormers last week and has subsequently earned the wrath of the local media.

“I think the Bulls have tried to evolve their play a little bit,” McGahan said.

“But I suspect we’ll see them go back to a very traditional, high-ball, more set piece game this week. That’s what we’re planning for.

“The biggest thing for us has been getting the bodies right, that has probably taken precedence over training time and contact.

“We just need to make sure we’re in that really good mental place that we need to be to play the Bulls in Pretoria, a place we know is a fantastic place to play rugby.”

The Rebels have made two changes to their starting line-up, with lock Steve Cummins and fly-half Jack Debreczeni coming in for Harris and Jordy Reid.

BULLS v REBELS

Loftus Versfeld Stadium, midnight

TV: Live on Fox Sports 2

TAB odds: Bulls $1.47, Rebels $2.70

WINDLEY’S VERDICT

No better time than now for the Rebels to break their South African duck.

REBELS BY 3