The Short Ball give you a quick recap of all the Round 3 Super Rugby action.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 28: Tom English of the Rebels breaks a tackle during the round three Super Rugby match between the Melbourne Rebels and the Cheetahs at AAMI Park on February 28, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
MELBOURNE Rebels coach Tony McGahan says he is not interested in his side’s recent dominance over Western Force.
But there is one important statistic he has raised with his players before Saturday night’s meeting with the fellow expansion club in Perth.
“The only thing we’ve spoken about is the every game we have played in the history of the two clubs has been decided by less than seven points,” McGahan said.
“That’s the only thing we’re concerned about.
“We’re certainly not at a stage now where we are worrying too much about the opposition.
“We have great respect for what they will bring and what they have done in the past.
“It’s about us backing each other and protecting last week’s performance.”
Melbourne has lost to the Force just once in six years, but McGahan said history counted for nothing.
“I think they (the Force) are a very resilient group,” he said.
“They have the ability to grind out results and they have a very strong forward pack.
“They also have some really good kicking options.”
The Rebels were well drilled and executed superbly in last Friday night’s big win over the Cheetahs at AAMI Park.
Melbourne Rebels got their Super Rugby campaign off to a flyer with a 35-14 win over the Cheetahs at home on Friday.
But that won’t stop McGahan from continuing to experiment with his side early in the season.
“We had a few really close selection calls in Round 1,” he said.
“The players who played on Friday night had a good result and individually played well.
“We’re still looking at the group and coaches are still getting a feel for where they are at and who are best players are.
“One thing we need to maintain is growth within the group and to make sure we connected.
“So I would forecast some changes.”
But he won’t be experimenting with his halves combination after a strong performance from Bryce Hegarty and Luke Burgess last Friday night.
“Both Bryce and Luke were really strong,” he said.
“We’ve worked really hard with our key decision makers.
“Those two have a huge impact on what we do and the speed of play.
“We’re happy with our progress so far.”
McGahan said it was still early days but praised his players for the way they opened the season last Friday night.
“We’ve certainly seen growth in areas,” he said.
“With our attack, defence and our scrum I think we have seen growth.
“The players really played together as a team.
“The second pleasing thing was we played for the first 80 minutes.”
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