{"id":33303,"date":"2018-02-22T15:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T02:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/?p=33303"},"modified":"2018-02-23T09:40:31","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T20:40:31","slug":"sr18-preview-rebels-v-reds-23-2-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/super-rugby\/2018\/02\/sr18-preview-rebels-v-reds-23-2-18\/","title":{"rendered":"SR18 Preview: Rebels v Reds {23-2-18}"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow @RedefinedRugby<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

2017 was, in general, one to forget from an Australian point of view and, for the Rebels, it was a particularly disastrous campaign.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

They secured one just one victory all season as they propped up the Super Rugby table, astonishingly residing below the Sunwolves, who appeared destined to take that position once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hopes are higher this time around, however, with the Melbourne outfit especially benefiting from the Western Force\u2019s culling from the competition. David Wessels has been brought in and 11 players have joined, which includes captain and Wallaby second-row Adam Coleman and full-back Dane Haylett-Petty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Will Genia has also signed following his return to the country from a stint in Europe with Stade Francais and it provides an interesting subplot to this encounter. The 88-times capped international admitted that he would have signed for the Reds had spaces been available in their roster but ultimately the 30-year-old settled on the Rebels.<\/span><\/p>\n

It will therefore be a case of the master against the apprentice when Genia goes head-to-head with James Tuttle. The Queensland hierarchy have opted for youth in the halfback position and, while Tuttle is a talent, it will be interesting to see whether he can outthink the experienced scrum-half.<\/span><\/p>\n

The visitors will also hope that familiarity will be a factor. While boss Brad Thorn has chosen to controversially axe Quade Cooper, the core of the squad remains the same and, against a Rebels side who have yet to truly gel, it could count in their favour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both teams will be desperate to erase memories of a disappointing 2017 \u2013 the Reds themselves only winning four matches last year \u2013 but the hosts appear the best equipped to do that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wessels\u2019 men are odds-on with the bookmakers and have plenty of exciting talent in their ranks. Alongside their new signings, Reece Hodge, Tom English and Sefa Naivalu remain and they could be an intriguing team to watch should it all come together for the AAMI Park-based outfit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The last time the teams met:<\/b><\/span>
\n It was a tight one in Melbourne as the Reds ran out 29-24 victors at AAMI Park. It was a cruel way for the Rebels to lose, with Samu Kerevi touching down in the final minute to snatch the win. The hosts had been 17-9 behind at the interval but appeared on course for a share of the spoils after levelling the match at 24-24, but Kerevi\u2019s decisive effort earned the visitors their first away success since 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

Team news:<\/b><\/span>
\n It is all change at the Rebels with several players making their Rebels debut. In the backline, Dane Haylett-Petty and Will Genia will add plenty of quality behind the scrum, while the Melbourne-based side have benefited from Western Force\u2019s axe by strengthening the pack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam Coleman has joined and taken on the captaincy and he will provide plenty of ballast behind a front-row containing two former Force props in Tetera Faulkner and Jermaine Ainsley. Angus Cottrell, another former Western Australian, will line up alongside two prominent ball-carriers in Lopeti Timani and Amanaki Mafi, who form a fearsome unit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Reds, meanwhile, are slightly more settled, with the backline \u2013 Aidan Toua and Eto Nabuli the exceptions \u2013 all coming through the system at the Queensland outfit. Nabuli and fellow wing Chris Feauai-Sautia both provide pace and power, but they will need the half-backs of Jono Lance and James Tuttle to perform if they are to see space.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the pack, Scott Higginbotham has taken on the captaincy and he has a big role to play in guiding a reasonably youthful and inexperienced forward eight. They do not lack quality, however, and Lukhan Tui, Izack Rodda and Taniela Tupou will look to build on promising 2017 campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Form:<\/b>\u00a0The Rebels will certainly hope their pre-season form is not an indication of what is to come after suffering heavy defeats to both the Brumbies and Waratahs. They were thrashed 50-19 and 47-5 respectively but ultimately those games count little when it comes to the Super Rugby campaign. The Reds took a slightly different route in pre-season, where they faced the Fijian Warriors and emerged 17-15 triumphant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Previous results:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

2017:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 29-24 in Melbourne<\/span>
\n 2016:<\/b>\u00a0Rebels won 31-28 in Brisbane<\/span>
\n 2016:<\/b>\u00a0Rebels won 25-23 in Melbourne<\/span>
\n 2015:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 46-29 in Brisbane<\/span>
\n 2015:<\/b>\u00a0Rebels won 23-15 in Melbourne<\/span>
\n 2014:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 36-20 in Melbourne<\/span>
\n 2014:<\/b>\u00a0Rebels won 30-27 in Brisbane<\/span>
\n 2013:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 33-20 in Brisbane<\/span>
\n 2013:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 23-13 in Melbourne<\/span>
\n 2012:<\/b>\u00a0Reds won 32-17 in Melbourne<\/span><\/p>\n

The teams:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Rebels:<\/b>\u00a015 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Jack Maddocks, 13 Tom English, 12 Reece Hodge, 11 Sefa Naivalu, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Will Genia, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Angus Cottrell, 6 Lopeti Timani, 5 Adam Coleman (c), 4 Matt Philip, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Jordan Uelese, 1 Tetera Faulkner<\/span>
\n Replacements:<\/b>\u00a016 Anaru Rangi, 17 Fereti Sa\u2019aga, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Sam Jeffries, 20 Ross Haylett-Petty, 21 Michael Ruru, 22 Semisi Tupou, 23 Billy Meakes<\/span><\/p>\n

Reds:<\/b>\u00a015 Aidan Toua, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Duncan Paia\u2019aua, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Jono Lance, 9 James Tuttle, 8 Scott Higginbotham (c), 7 Adam Korczyk, 6 Caleb Timu, 5 Lukhan Tui, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper<\/span>
\n Replacements:<\/b>\u00a016 Alex Mafi, 17 JP Smith, 18 Sef Fa\u2019agase, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Liam Wright, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Filipo Daugunu<\/span><\/p>\n

Date:<\/b>\u00a0Friday, February 23<\/span>
\n Venue:<\/b>\u00a0AAMI Park, Melbourne<\/span>
\n Kick-off:<\/b>\u00a019:45 local (08:45 GMT)<\/span>
\n Referee:<\/b>\u00a0Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)<\/span>
\n Assistant referee:<\/b>\u00a0Nic Berry (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)<\/span>
\n TMO:<\/b>\u00a0Ian Smith (Australia)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

–
\n\"fb_follow\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"rhladrr\"<\/a><\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Follow @RedefinedRugby 2017 was, in general, one to forget from an Australian point of view and, for the Rebels, it was a particularly disastrous campaign. They secured one just one victory all season as they propped up the Super Rugby table, astonishingly residing below the Sunwolves, who appeared destined to take that position once again….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"SR18 Preview:\r\nRebels v Reds {23-2-18}\r\nhttps:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-8F9\r\n#REBvREDS #SUPERRUGBY","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4932,4845,4846,4832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-qld-reds","category-rebels","category-super-rugby"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Reds_centre_Samu_Kerevi_against_Rebels-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-8F9","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37197,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/super-rugby\/2019\/05\/super-rugby-preview-rebels-v-reds-10-05-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":33303,"position":0},"title":"Super Rugby Preview: Rebels v Reds (10\/05\/19)","author":"rr_admin","date":"May 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rebels have won three of their last four Super Rugby matches at home against the Reds (L1), including a 26-point win in their last such fixture, their biggest ever victory over the Reds in the competition. 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The Reds have gone back to back, with a gritty comeback against the Sunwolves followed by a rousing performance last Sunday against the Brumbies. On the other hand the Rebels have dropped their last two, the first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/latest-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Reds-Preview.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Reds-Preview.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Reds-Preview.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Reds-Preview.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Reds-Preview.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36825,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/super-rugby\/2019\/03\/super-rugby-result-reds-13-v-32-rebels-30-03-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":33303,"position":2},"title":"Super Rugby Result: Reds 13 v 32 Rebels (30\/03\/19)","author":"rr_admin","date":"March 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Quade Cooper made a victorious return to Brisbane as the Rebels beat the Reds 32-13 on Saturday.\u00a0 Cooper spent 11 seasons at the Reds, but was frozen out by coach Brad Thorn last year, promoting his move to Melbourne. 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The group features a number of members of the Queensland Reds side from\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/03\/rrch.gif?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":35617,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/super-rugby\/2018\/07\/sr18-preview-reds-vs-rebels-06-07-18\/","url_meta":{"origin":33303,"position":4},"title":"SR18 Preview: Reds vs Rebels {06-07-18}","author":"rr_admin","date":"July 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby The Reds welcome the Melbourne Rebels to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday in an all-Australian Super Rugby affair. The Rebels will still be ruing the fact that they missed an opportunity to leapfrog the Waratahs last weekend and put themselves in contention for a home play-off spot.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/latest-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebels_scrum-half_Michael_Ruru_against_Reds.jpg.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebels_scrum-half_Michael_Ruru_against_Reds.jpg.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebels_scrum-half_Michael_Ruru_against_Reds.jpg.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Rebels_scrum-half_Michael_Ruru_against_Reds.jpg.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33364,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/super-rugby\/2018\/02\/sr18-result-rebels-45-v-19-reds-23-2-18\/","url_meta":{"origin":33303,"position":5},"title":"SR18 Result: Rebels 45 v 19 Reds {23-2-18}","author":"RugbyRedefined","date":"February 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Follow @RedefinedRugby The Melbourne Rebels claimed a record-breaking 45-19 victory over the Queensland Reds in their Super Rugby opener at AAMI Park on Friday. 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