Super Rugby- May 06, Melbourne Rebels 18 - 33 Reds

May 06, 2011

The half time score is Rebels 8 Reds 26 

The full time score is Rebels 18 Reds 33  

The Reds returned to winning ways with a 33-18 bonus point victory over the Rebels in their Super Rugby clash in Melbourne.

A week after their narrow loss to the Hurricanes, the play-off chasing Reds recorded their ninth win of the campaign thanks to tries from flanker Scott Higginbotham, No.8 Radike Samo, replacement Dominic Shipperley and winger Digby Ioane. After the Rebels' Julian Huxley and the Reds' Quade Cooper exchanged early penalties, Higginbotham struck against the run of play with a barn-storming run to the line. Samo then extended the visitors' advantage but the Rebels hit back with a try from fly-half James Hilgendorf only to lose their playmaker to an ankle injury sustained in the process.

Cooper's third penalty put the Reds into a commanding lead soon after and scrum-half Will Genia delivered a neat cross-field kick for Shipperley to score just before the break. The Rebels showed signs of life with a try from replacement Afusipa Taumoepeau just before the hour mark but Ioane pounced to restore his side's advantage with Cooper claiming his second conversion. The battling hosts grabbed a third try through winger Peter Betham but there was to be no dramatic late rally.

Scorers

Rebels Tries - J Hilgendorf, A. Taumoepeau , P Betham
Pen - J Huxley
Con -
Drop -
Cards -

RedsTries - S. Higginbotham, R Samo, D Shipperley, D Ioane
Pen - Q Cooper 3
Con - Q Cooper 2
Drop -
Cards - M Harris (54th min) Yellow

Match Officials Referees: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), Simon Moore (Australia)
Television match official: Matt Goddard (Australia)

Teams

Rebels : 1. Greg Somerville , 2. Ged Robinson , 3. Laurie Weeks , 4. Alister Campbell , 5. Hugh Pyle , 6. Hoani Macdonald , 7. Michael Lipman , 8. Gareth Delve (vc) , 9. Nick Phipps , 10. James Hilgendorf , 11. Peter Betham , 12. Stirling Mortlock (c) , 13. Mark Gerrard , 14. Lachlan Mitchell , 15. Julian Huxley

Reserves 16. Heath Tessmann , 17. Nic Henderson , 18. Adam Byrnes , 19 , Tim Davidson , 20. Sam Cordingley , 21. Cooper Vuna , 22. Afusipa Taumoepeau

Reds : 1. Ben Daley , 2. Saia Faingaa , 3. James Slipper , 4. Rob Simmons , 5. James Horwill (c) , 6. Scott Higginbotham , 7. Beau Robinson , 8. Radike Samo , 9. Will Genia , 10. Quade Cooper , 11. Digby Ioane , 12. Mike Harris , 13. Anthony Faingaa , 14. Luke Morahan , 15. Ben Lucas

Reserves : 16. James Hanson , 17. Greg Holmes , 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison , 19. Leroy Houston , 20. Jake Schatz , 21. Will Chambers , 22. Dom Shipperley