A day of contrasting rugby fortunes for the Rebels at Ballina, with the Men’s XV putting in a gutsy defensive effort to go down narrowly 19-8, while the Women’s side struggled against a strong Ballina outfit; and the Colts played out a hard-fought draw, away against the Mullumbimby Moonshiners.
Colts 10s
The Colts travelled to face the Moonshiners and came away with a 7-7 draw, Carver McKinley crossing for the try and Aiden Broadhurst adding the conversion. Oscar Sainsbury took out Player of the Match honours.
Women’s 10s
The Women’s side faced a tough afternoon against Ballina, going down 38-12. Evie Eastwell and Kari Massey crossed for the Rebels, with Massey adding a conversion, and Claudia Gasquez was named Player of the Match for her efforts throughout.
Men’s XV
The Men’s XV gave Ballina plenty to think about across 80 minutes in what was a tight, physically demanding contest. Ballina received to start and the Rebels immediately set the tone, Jamie Bell forcing a dropped ball in the Byron 22 to earn a scrum and repel the early attack. The Rebels defended without much possession in the opening exchanges but held firm, and their scrummaging was a consistent bright spot – winning two from two and giving them a reliable platform.
Lineout troubles proved costly however, with Ballina intercepting multiple throws and using the turnovers to sustain attacking pressure. Ballina eventually converted their pressure into points, splitting through two defenders to lead 7-0. The Rebels responded well with Sam Valpy chipping over the defensive line from a ruck and Finn Reynolds on hand in the corner to ground it, cutting the deficit to 7-5. Valpy then slotted a penalty to edge the Rebels in front 7-8 at the break.
In the second half Ballina came out with more intent after the break, using the width of the field to stretch the Rebels defence.
Despite holding off two early attacks, the Rebels conceded from a third, and a missed conversion kept it at 12-8.
A run of penalties gave Ballina the possession and momentum they needed to extend their lead to 19-8. The Rebels pushed hard late, threatening the Ballina try-line on two occasions, but couldn’t find the breakthrough – made harder when Tomas Melville departed with a leg injury leaving them with 14 men for the closing stages.
Full time 19-8. A performance built largely on defence and set piece, with Luc Lévêque named Player of the Match for his tireless effort.
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