Reds run riot in Melbourne

The Reds ended a five-match losing streak on the road when they beat the Rebels 36-20 in their Super Rugby Round 17 encounter in Melbourne on Friday.

Confounding the critics, the Reds outscored the Rebels by six tries to three in a game that was as entertaining as the scoreline suggest.

While the poor skills levels, and at times a lack of discipline, stopped the flow of play, it did not detract from the value of a game in which neither team had anything to lose.

The result was nine great tries, with the Reds coping very well without star Wallaby playmakers Will Genia and Quade Cooper.

Stand-in scrumhalf Nick Frisby made the best of a rare starting opportunity by scoring two tries for the Reds.

Frisby replaced Genia, sidelined after ankle surgery, and allayed fears the Reds might struggle without Genia and his regular flyhalf partner, Cooper.

Friday's match was the first since 2008 in which neither Genia nor Cooper featured in a Reds starting line-up.

Wing Lachie Turner scored a double – his first since 2010 – and fullback Mike Harris scored a try, but gave up his perfect goal-kicking record this season.

He landed the conversion of Turner's first try, his 13th success from as many attempts in 2014, but missed his next four shots at goal.

The Reds avenged last month's narrow loss against the Rebels, when a last-minute penalty had consigned the Reds to their first Super Rugby defeat against the Rebels in Brisbane.

Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess, who returned to the Rebels' starting line-up after injuring his knee against the Reds in Brisbane, Bryce Hegarty and Mitch Inman scored tries during a late second-half rally but it was not enough for the Rebels.

The home side looked like the Melbourne of old, as errors and penalties littered their game to give the Reds a leg-up; the loss their third in succession.

Queensland suffered a blow five minutes in when Dom Shipperley was stretchered from the field.

The Queensland wing, who last week signed to join the Rebels, looked to have suffered a badly broken lower leg when he fell over a tackled player.

The five-minute time-out – while he was being treated – hit the Rebels hard and after a strong start they soon lost their way as Shipperley's replacement, Lachie Turner, scored.

Turner then found himself back on the sidelines after taking out flyhalf Bryce Hegarty in the air.

However, Melbourne were unable to take advantage and Reds fullback Mike Harris, who is also set to join the Rebels in 2015, scored for a 12-3 lead.

Frisby then added his two tries – both strikingly similar with the ball popping out the back of a maul for him to dive over – and the visitors had their bonus point for four tries before half-time – with a 22-3 lead.

Turner then touched down for his second before the Rebels finally got their first try through scrumhalf Luke Burgess, in his first game back from a knee injury.

The Rebels showed some fight and added another through Hegarty, who beat Turner in a foot-race to the ball.

They then scored through Mitch Inman after the final siren but it was too little too late with Queensland's six tries too big a target to reel in.

Man of the match: Rod Davies again showed how dangerous he can be with ball in hand, even though he got only one of his team's six tries, Beau Robinson was busy, James Horwill again kept the referee busy and Rob Simmons was prominent in the set pieces. Our award goes to Reds scrumhalf Nick Frisby, who made the best of a rare start – in the absence of Will Genia.

The scorers:

For the Rebels:

Tries: Burgess, Hegarty, Inman

Con: Woodward

Pen: Woodward

For the Reds:

Tries: Turner 2, Harris, Frisby 2, Davies

Cons: Lucas, Harris 2

Yellow cards: Lachlan Turner (Reds, 14 – foul play, tackling a man in the air), Mitch Inman (Rebels, 30 – foul play, off-the-ball shoulder charge)

Teams:

Rebels: 15 Jack Debreczeni, 14 Jason Woodward, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Mitch Inman , 11 Tom English, 10 Bryce Hegarty, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Scott Higginbotham (captain), 7 Colby Fainga'a, 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Luke Jones, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Pat Leafa, 1 Toby Smith.

Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Cruze Ah-Nau, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Hugh Pyle, 20 Scott Fuglistaller, 21 Nic Stirzaker, 22 Telusa Veainu, 23 Tom Kingston.

Reds: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Anthony Fainga'a, 11 Dom Shipperley, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Nick Frisby, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Beau Robinson, 6 Curtis Browning, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 James Hanson, 1 James Slipper.

Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Ben Daley, 19 Dave McDuling, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Samuela Kerevi, 22 Jamie-Jerry Taulagi, 23 Lachlan Turner.

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

Assistant referees: Matt O'Brien (Australia), Damien Mitchelmore (Australia)

TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)