The Rebels men’s XV made the trip to Lismore Rugby Park on Ladies Day and delivered a commanding 38-17 victory. A notable piece of club history was made as David Eastwell and his son Jude took to the field together in the first XV – believed to be the first father and son pairing for the newly merged Byron Shire club, with David having previously represented Bangalow.
The Rebels came out with intent from the off, a series of strong carries building momentum before Sam Valpy pushed through to the tryline himself and added the conversion for a 0-7 lead. The Rebels kept their foot down, more powerful running leading to Oisin Canney crossing for a second try, though the conversion was missed to leave it 0-12.
Lismore clawed back into the contest, cutting through the Rebels’ defensive line with an inside ball to make it 7-12. The Rebels responded through their forwards, driving deep into Lismore’s 22 before Jude Eastwell scored off a pick-and-go to restore a two-score cushion at 7-19. Lismore hit back again, working their backline off a scrum to score out wide and make it 12-19. The Rebels had the final say of the half however, winning a lineout a few metres out and Zach Klassen picking from the maul to run through and score. The half time score was 12-24.
Klassen picked up where he left off after the break, powering through three defenders to touch down and push the lead out to 12-31. A lengthy period of contested possession followed, with the Rebels threatening on multiple occasions without adding to their tally. Lismore took advantage, scoring out wide with fast play to make it 17-31. The Rebels responded immediately, Valpy grounding it again and converting to close out the scoring at 17-38.
Zach Klassen was named Man of the Match after a powerful display that yielded two tries. The Rebels travel to Albert Park next Saturday to face Casino, with kick off at 3.15pm.
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