The Rebels Men’s XV put in a dominant attacking display of rugby to see off Lismore 42-17, racking up six tries in a performance built on strong set pieces and clinical finishing.
Early strike
The Rebels struck early, Luc Lévêque storming through the Lismore line to open the scoring, with Valpy adding the conversion. Possession swung back and forth around the halfway mark before Lismore worked their way into Rebels territory, grinding out a try through a series of pick and goes which they converted, before adding a penalty to edge ahead 10-7.
Another stretch of contested possession in the Lismore half ended with Giovanni Magi crossing the line, converted again by Valpy, to push the Rebels back in front 10-14. The Rebels had a promising attack deep in Lismore territory as the half wound down but couldn’t convert it into points before the break, with the score holding at 10-14.
Rebels run rampant
The second half saw both sides trade momentum early, before the Rebels took control. A booming 50-22 kick from Valpy won the Rebels significant territory and set up a dominant scrum on the Lismore line, from which number 8 Manu Perez picked and scored under the posts. Valpy converted to make it 10-21.
Lismore strung together a series of penalties to camp the Rebels in their own 22, but scrum half Luke Cleaver produced a moment of individual brilliance, dummying the pass to the backline before slicing through the Lismore defence himself for a try. Valpy’s conversion made it 10-28.
Valpy was at it again soon after, nailing another 50-22 under pressure from the Lismore defence, and the resulting attack ended with Jamie Gosling scoring out wide. Valpy converted to extend the lead to 10-35. Lismore hit back, forcing their way through the Rebels’ 22 and over the line, converting to make it 17-35.
With the game in the closing stages, the Rebels won a scrum deep in Lismore’s 22 and the forward pack drove hard towards the tryline, allowing Manu to pick and score his second try of the match. Valpy added the extras to complete the scoring, 17-42.
Result
Full time: Rebels 42, Lismore 17 – a comprehensive win built on a strong forward platform and reliable goal-kicking from Valpy throughout. Man of the match went to ‘Big’ Will Aisake for his powerful runs and his impact on the dominance of the pack.
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