Star's injury adds to painful Rebels performance

1 year ago 96

Reece Hodge's nasty manus wounded rubbed brackish into the wounds of the Melbourne Rebels, who were brought backmost to Earth with a 44-25 nonaccomplishment to the pacesetting Chiefs successful Hamilton.

Wallabies seasoned Hodge had his close limb successful a sling and was grimacing successful pain arsenic helium near the tract aft 23 minutes and watched the enactment unfold from the sidelines connected Saturday.

The Rebels led the top-of-the-table Chiefs 8-0 aboriginal connected but a acquainted communicative past unfolded with a New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific squad punishing an Australian 1 with lethal attacking play disconnected turnover ball.

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The Rebels are present 1-3 aft upsetting the NSW Waratahs past weekend.

"We started the crippled however we wanted to, accelerated and with bully intent, got retired to a bully pb but sick subject and conscionable inability to benignant of exit, get retired of our fractional wounded america successful that archetypal half," Rebels skipper Brad Wilkin said.

"We decidedly came present confident. We knew that if we played bully rugby, past would springiness them a bully crack. But yeah, recognition to the Chiefs. They're a truly beardown side."

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The present 4-0 Chiefs rested first-choice halves Brad Weber and Damian McKenzie, though McKenzie was a precocious summation to the seat for Josh Ioane (personal reasons).

"They've got large extent and that made it a truly hard crippled retired there," Wilkin said.

"I conjecture we've got to look astatine it overall. I deliberation you look astatine the 20 minutes, 2nd 4th astir apt is wherever we fto ourselves down and that's astir apt been a taxable passim our play far. So conscionable uncovering the tiny 1 percenters successful those zones we'll enactment connected and determination forward."

Chiefs winger Emoni Narawa was a standout and scored a thrilling 34th infinitesimal effort - though adjacent his teammate and housemate Alex Nankivell thought helium had enactment his footwear successful interaction portion tiptoeing down the sidelines.

"I thought helium did - erstwhile I saw the jumbotron oregon immoderate it's called, it looked similar helium stepped out," Nankivell said.

"I thought they mightiness cheque it but they didn't cheque it. Play on, 5 points."

One affirmative for the Rebels was the continued good signifier of young five-eighth Carter Gordon, who entered circular 4 arsenic the co-leader of Stan Sport's Australian subordinate of the twelvemonth standings.

The Kiwis are besides impressed.

"If helium keeps playing similar this, Eddie Jones volition beryllium looking astatine him for sure," New Zealand sevens large Karl Te Nana said.

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"Obviously a communicator, a leader, but what I similar astir him excessively is helium takes the shot to the enactment and helium challenges it. He's precise beardown successful contact, done interaction and he's got the skills to propulsion those (out the) backmost balls well. Very impressed with Carter Gordon."

The Chiefs present question to Sydney to instrumentality connected a Waratahs squad that manager Clayton McMillan said "looked astonishing connected paper."

The Rebels volition big the Queensland Reds successful circular five.

CHIEFS 44 (Shaun Stevenson 2, Rameka Poihipi, Emoni Narawa, Tyrone Thompson, Etene Nanai-Seturo tries; Bryn Gatland 4 con, 2 pen) REBELS 25 (Alex Mafi, Stacey Ili, Nick Jooste, David Feliuai tries; Carter Gordon con, Reece Hodge pen) HT: 27-15

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