Much of their success and failure can be put down to their English flyhalf Danny Cipriani. This lady-boy loving Pom brought a lot of hype when he signed from Wasps and has started all but one match for the Rebels so far. Despite being English his goal-kicking has been inconsistent, at best, and his play does seem to lack direction at times. Cipriani leads the comp with the most number of kicks and his predilection for the grubber and chip kick have seen a number of Rebel attacks flounder and stutter as a result. With the signing of Kurtley Beale for next season and the apparent interest in James O'Connor the Englishman's time could be up come 2012; that being said it could be even sooner than that if he hasn't been deported for some sort of booze-induced madness thus creating a strange irony of Australia sending a criminal to England.
Credit must be given where it is due and the Rebels have gotten a lot out of a largely unkown group of players. Upon seeing their squad before the season started I had a thought that the Lions or even the Cheetahs might finish above them but these two would still finish last even if my res side, the Clarendon Knights, were in Super Rugby. Their loose-forward trio has been impressive. This includes a Welshman, Gareth Delve; an Englishman, Michael Lipman; and a South African, Jarrod Saffy. Saffy actually leads the tournament in the number of tackles with 109 and his partnership with the aforementioned Delve and Lipman has been a point of encouragement for the Melbourne lads. Their second row comprising Al Campbell and especially Hugh Pyle has really stood up tall (haha). Another surprise has been Ged Robinson (pronounced how it's spealt rather than Jed; definitely more entertaining). The New Zealand born hooker has been dynamic and largely reliable and has rewarded those who didn't have enough fantasy money to buy anyone that they had actually heard of with his good performances.
The Rebels' backs have been more of a problem and this is seen more in their defence than in attack. Exciting prospects like Cooper Vuna, Nick Phipps and Richard Kingi give the Rebels an extra dimension on attack but their first-time tackling has let them down this season. They have the worst defensive record having conceded 282 points in 8 eights games thus conceding 35 points a game on average. Even an attack as potent as the Crusaders would struggle to overturn that each week. Opposition loose forwards must lick their lips in anticipation of having Cipriani to run at in the first-five channel as he rarely offers much effort in a tackle. It must be like running into a bowl of porridge for someone like Willem Alberts.This was demonstrated on a number of occasions in the match against the Highlanders.
So, what is their to make of the Rebels so far this season? They have, without a doubt, exceeded expectations and if they were to finish up in their current position of 9th then they would surely be quite pleased. Injuries could see them struggle in the later stages as they don't really have the squad to cope with missing a few key players. I think they should hope for Mortlock to stay crocked because he is way past his best and would be better suited to cruising around with a zimmer frame in a bingo hall than on a rugby field.
They should find getting a respectable position in their conference easier than on the overall log with the Brumbies and the Force playing like tactless apes this season. As the season approaches its end the Rebels will probably struggle to keep up and will require a big effort if they are to maintain their current level. They should, however, take confidence from the first half of their season; especially their forgetfulness when it comes to taking hammerings which they may need more and more and the season goes on.
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