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Melbourne Rebels v Western Force, AAMI Park, 7.30pm Friday (EDT) FS2HD
And so to game one of Super Rugby’s newest New Dawn in which the two newer chums of the Australian Super Rugby conference meet at AAMI Stadium.
Who’ll be Rhonda and who’ll be Ka-Tut? We may never know. But there should be plenty of interest in this Friday night fixture because there’s a lot to like, and there’s little else on.
Like? Melbourne can run, baby. Run free like the buffalo. With a pair of fast-twitching superstars, Higginbotham of The North, and a mandate to express themselves, this plucky band of Rebels will burn off and beat good teams in 2013.
And as their 47-45 trial loss to the Hurricanes showed, their attack is that of devil-dogs, their defence like Saddam Hussein’s army reserve. They’re an entertaining unit.
"We had a big year last year and played some expansive and exciting rugby," Rebels captain Gareth Delve, of Wales, said.
"We’ll continue to back ourselves and try to run through them, be it up the middle or out wide. In our wins over the Crusaders and Bulls we backed ourselves."
Who should you back? You’ll get $2.95 for the Force but you’d sooner take Washington Generals giving up a start.
Last year the Force lost a coach, a world-class breakaway and 13 of 16 games.
They’ll point to positives / clutch at straws and tell you seven of their losses were by eight points or less - which might be, sort of, encouraging. But David Pocock is in Canberra. And that’s all she wrote.
Still, they remain strongest in the backrow. Wallabies Richard Brown, Matt Hodgson (captain) and Ben McCalman won’t be beating Richie McCaw to the breakdown but are quite difficult to shift when they arrive.
Expect plenty of pick-and-drive rugger as these three – and Pocock’s replacement Chris "Even I haven’t heard of me" Alcock - cart it up in the middle channels.
Elsewhere, the Force are extremely beatable. Their tight-five are tough and tattooed, with a scary, bouncer look about them. But they are without pedigree, sporting only the lightest dusting of Wallabies gold. You probably haven’t heard of Phoenix Battye. Not exactly David Beckham, is he?
In the backs, scrumhalf Brett Sheehan turns 34 in September. Sias Eberhorn is a Junior Springbok from Bloemfontein whom the Force field at five-eighth.
With a buckling scrum and scrappy lineout pill, 23-year-old Ebersohn will be under so many hammers of Thor.
The Force’s best back is Nick Cummins, a wooly-haired "Honey Badger" with a weird streak and an all-action, non-passing brand of rugby.
And that’s about it.
Melbourne, meanwhile, will trot out Kurtley Beale at No.10. And Kurtley Beale is a ripper. It’s a while ago, but check out his footy playing for Joeys at school. Check out his nearly-try against Wales. Check out this humorous falcon. There’s the odd mistake in him. But Beale is a beauty.
Outside Beale will be freshly-shaven speed-fiend and boy-band-cute James O’Connor. Cute? They don’t call him Justin Beiber because he looks like Stan Pilecki. O’Connor is cuter than a bunny rabbit holding a bunny rabbit.
But enough of your hate, haters. O’Connor would have 5000 more girlfriends than you, shave his head for charity and is a good, friendly bloke.
And he has game, baby. He can scoot, sluicing through holes and haring about, bouncing off big yins with a rock-and-roll style suited to a larger jungle-rumbler.
And JOC will LOL all the way home when Melbourne dominate this fixture. They’re at home. Their trial form’s been good. And they have the better team. Rebels by 22.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...#ixzz2KkbEkU13
Lets smash these little W@nkers and the Foxsports team... Might as well right off the season as the Rebels will be finishing top of Australia with the hand up the Ass of Beagle and JUDAS as they are the best things that has happened to Australian rugby since Kearns and Horan played for the wallabies.
Starting to get the blood boiling and ready for round 1, when we turn the tables and we beat the Rebels by 44 points, after a 22 point turn around !!!
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Originally Posted by benny
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