The impressive 42-22 win over the Auckland Blues in Melbourne on Friday was their sixth of the year and means the 2015 Rebels are assured of posting the club's best ever Super Rugby season with five matches still to play.
Just three points behind Australian Conference leaders ACT Brumbies, Tony McGahan's side are even in with a shout of a maiden playoff appearance.
With big name backline signings like James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale to the fore, the Rebels have always been able to spring the odd surprise but never before have they put together such a sustained period of competitiveness.
The marquee names have gone this year and the success has been built on team spirit, a 15-man effort and a combative pack led by captain Scott Higginbotham.
One sign of the cohesiveness of the side was that, going into the Blues clash, the Rebels led Super Rugby in the percentage of their tries scored after seven or more phases.
The back row of Higginbotham, dreadlocked openside flanker Jordy Reid and young gun blindside Colby Faingaa was outstanding against the Blues, which was all the more impressive when you considered their recent run of opponents.
"We came into the game on the back of three very physical, attritional matches in a row against the Brumbies, Waratahs and Chiefs, so we knew tonight would ask plenty of questions of the group," McGahan said.
"We owed a lot to Colby and Jordy Reid for keeping us in the game during the first half, but we were happier with the performance after the break to secure the win.
"While the score line looks nice, it was a tough game and we have plenty of areas in which we can improve."
Wallabies number eight Higginbotham was one of the most penalised players in Super Rugby last year but has pretty much halved his rate of offending this term.
The 28-year-old scored one of Melbourne's five tries in the victory over the Blues to become the highest try-scoring forward in Super Rugby history with 30 five-pointers to his name.
"It's good, but it's all on the back of playing with a great bunch of blokes," Higginbotham said. "It's a lot of fun to be out there with them. The boys are really enjoying the season."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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