Rebels beat Brumbies 30-12 in Super Rugby Australia match

Fullback Reece Hodge scored the first of his two tries in the third minute to lead the Melbourne Rebels to a 30-12 win over the ACT Brumbies in a Super Rugby Australia match Friday.

It was the first defeat of the revamped season for the Brumbies after the original competition was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rebels led 27-7 at halftime after Hodge's second try of the night.

Rebels captain Matt Toomua said his team kept it simple in the rainy, tough conditions.

“We were a little bit scrappy in the second half but it didn’t matter because our lineout was good, our pressure off the line was good, our shots were good ..." Toomua said. “It’s a simple game when you win the contact.”

ACT captain Allan Alaalatoa said his team’s kicking game let them down. Flyhalf Bayley Kuenzle was replaced after 44 minutes.

“They stayed on top of us well,” Alaalatoa said. “They kept putting balls in the corner and keeping us in our end and we struggled to get out and they capitalized on that."

The Brumbies have a bye next weekend while the Rebels play the Queensland Reds. Queensland plays the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday in Sydney, and the Western Force have a weekend by.

(Image Credit Pixabay)