2020 Super Rugby AU – Reds vs Melbourne Rebels Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When is Reds vs Melbourne Rebels taking place? Saturday 12^th September, 2020 – 10:15 (UK)

Where is Reds vs Melbourne Rebels taking place? Suncorp Stadium

What channel is Reds vs Melbourne Rebels on? Sky Sports Action

Where can I stream Reds vs Melbourne Rebels? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match via Sky Go

Where can I get tickets for Reds vs Melbourne Rebels? Visit this link for ticket information on Super Rugby games

THE TEAM NEWS

REDS

• Reds earned a statement win over Brumbies and they will now come into this knockout clash full of confidence with their unbeaten home record still intact after the 26-7 win over the top of the table side.
• The Queensland outfit dominated as they raced into an 18-0 lead in the first half before the Brumbies responded with their solitary points before the break but the Reds extended their lead in the second half in the impressive victory.
• After such an outstanding performance, it is little surprise that head coach Brad Thorn has retained the same run-on side as last week but there are two changes on the bench with Alex Mafi and Jack Straker returning in place of Josh Nasser and Ruan Smith.

MELBOURNE REBELS

• Melbourne Rebels managed to sneak into the finals by the smallest of margins as they edged past Western Force by the four points that they needed to as they finished in third spot ahead of NSW Waratahs.
• The Rebels made extremely hard work of overcoming their winless opponents and needed a try in the final minute of the game to come out on top but the pressure is now off them and they can go into this with more freedom than they possessed last week.
• There are three changes to the starting XV that featured last week with Brad Wilkin, Frank Lomani and Andrew Kellaway come into the side with Michael Wells, James Tuttle and Tim Pincus all making way.

THE PREDICTION

Melbourne Rebels made hard work of their progression to the finals as they needed a last gasp try in their final round robin game to secure their spot in the top three. They will need to greatly improve on last week’s effort as they take on the Reds who have won all of their home matches in this competition so far in this campaign. They were brilliant in their win over Brumbies last week and if they get anywhere near repeating that performance, they are likely to be far too good for the Rebels. The away side should be able to perform better than last week but the Reds look a class above, especially on home soil, and can win this by at least seven points.