Rebels trounced by Chiefs in Super Rugby trial
Melissa Woods The Daily Telegraph February 03, 2012 8:51pm
Tough trial: Kurtley Beale gets tackled by a Chiefs player. Picture: Colleen Petch
Source: The Daily Telegraph
WALLABIES fullback Kurtley Beale showed flashes of brilliance in an otherwise lacklustre performance by the Melbourne Rebels in their first Super Rugby trial against the Chiefs in Geelong on Friday night.
The Waikato side cruised to a six-try 36-0 romp at Simonds Stadium, building on a 17-0 halftime lead with the match played over four 20-minute quarters.
With Beale and his Australian team-mate James O'Connor joining Melbourne this season, big things were expected of the Rebels, who finished with the wooden spoon in their debut season in 2011.
But they failed to deliver in front of the crowd of approximately 3000.
They started well and controlled possession for the first 10 minutes of the match but were unable to convert that pressure into points.
That was something the Chiefs, who finished 10th in the competition last year - bottom of the New Zealand pool - had little trouble with in a solid performance.
Beale and O'Connor came on in the second quarter, with the fullback only playing limited time as he manages his workload after returning from a hamstring injury picked up at last year's World Cup.
During that period the 23-year-old made two breaks and combined well with Mark Gerrard, however the Rebels were still unable to break through for that elusive try.
O'Connor scrambled well to stop a likely Chiefs try in the second quarter and defended well but otherwise failed to shine with his team starved of quality ball.
Both sides were let down by some poor handling, which is expected at this time of the season, but the lack of combinations in the Rebels outfit was more exposed.
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