Melbourne have didn’t cease the New Zealand rout of Australian sides, crashing to the Blues of their opening spherical Tremendous Rugby Trans-Tasman conflict.
Regardless of a brand new coach on the helm, with assistant Kevin Foote stepping up after Dave Wessels’ departure, it was extra of the identical from the Rebels, who missed the Tremendous Rugby AU playoffs after ending fourth.
Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete’s try-scoring drought continued with Melbourne failing to get throughout the road at AAMI Park because the Blues posted a thumping 50-3 victory.
Blues No.8 Hoskins Sotutu scored two early second-half tries to successfully put the sport out of the Rebels’ attain by the 56th minute.
The match then opened up, with the Blues working rampant to complete with six tries, with substitute again Akira Ioane additionally ending with a double
Loosehead prop Karl Tu’inukuafe terrorised his reverse Cabous Eloff and the Rebels pack within the opening stanza, incomes 4 scrum penalties.
Dominating possession and territory, the guests additionally pressured errors within the Melbourne assault by their lightning line-speed.
All sides have been unfortunate to not rating by the primary half with an early effort by Bryce Heem known as again for a Rieko Ioane knock-on.
Melbourne then missed a deserved penalty strive when hooker Jordan Uelese’s would-be rating was illegally thwarted by Adrian Choat, who was yellow-carded.
The Blues took their probabilities and skipper Tom Robinson was prepared and ready for an extended floating go from five-eighth Otere Black to attain proper on halftime for a 17-3 lead.
Any hopes of a house facet fightback was snuffed out by Sototu’s early second-half efforts because the Blues iced a powerful show throughout the park.