Rebels down Force but suffer double injury blow

Fresh off a bye last week, the Rebels burst out of the blocks with two tries in the first 22 minutes through fullback Mike Harris and winger Dom Shipperly.





Harris converted his score and added a penalty to give the Rebels a 15-0 lead after they had lost openside flanker Scott Fuglistaller to a finger injury just before Shipperly's score, which came after a strong run by Mitch Inman.

Force scrumhalf Alby Mathewson reduced the deficit on the stroke of halftime with his own five pointer after catching the Rebels napping with a quick tap penalty. Luke Burton converted to send the teams in 15-7 at the break.

Burton kicked a penalty early in the second half to put the Force within touching distance and the Rebels were forced into another reshuffle when flyhalf Jack Debreczeni departed with what appeared a serious leg injury.

Harris, though, stemmed the tied with two penalties to put the Rebels ahead 21-15 with 15 minutes remaining.

The Force refused to lie down and prop Tetera Faulkner crashed over in the rain for a second try, which Burton converted.

However, the Rebels were not to be denied and produced stout defending in the final five minutes to ensure they picked up the four points and condemned the hosts to a fourth straight defeat.





(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore, editing by Ed Osmond)


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Source: Reuters


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