Brisbane 10s too hot for Rebels?
The hot and humid conditions may have stifled the Melbourne Rebels in their opening trial match of the year but with temperatures expected to soar in the high 30s over the weekend for the inaugural two-day tournament in Brisbane, the experience could benefit the side.
The Rebels were guilty of basic handling errors in the muggy Queensland conditions as the Western Force scored 27 unanswered points to claim the pre-season victory at Bond University on the Gold Coast.
Lock Steve Cummins opened the scoring in the opening minutes before the Force responded with five tries.
"Full credit to the Force, they played some clever football and capitalised on their opportunities," Inman said.
"We tried to play a little too expensive early on and didn’t earn the right to go wide but if we were a little more direct early it could have opened some opportunities later in the game.
"It was a little bit tricky with the humidity and the ball security but it will put us in good stead for the Brisbane Tens this weekend because we know what the humidity is like up here in Queensland,"
After 10 weeks of pre-season training, the Rebels returned to action on Monday in the first of their trials, which includes the Brisbane Tens and final trial against the Queensland Reds at Ballymore Stadium next week.
"It’s exciting to play football at this time of the year, the butterflies are coming back in before you’re running out which is always great," Inman said.
"Obviously there are a few things to work on but we’ll bounce back with some vigour in our remaining trials,"
Meanwhile, Rebels wildcard selection Morgan Turinui is sweating over his appearance at the Brisbane 10s.
The Rebels assistant coach was coaxed by the players to come out of retirement as the club’s wildcard selection to contest the inaugural edition of the two-day tournament at Suncorp Stadium this weekend.
Though, the reality of competing against the world’s best teams and the expected sweltering temperatures, set to reach upwards of 30 degrees over the weekend, has Turinui second guessing.
"I’ve gotten through denial stage and I’m on my way to acceptance so I’m dealing with it,” Turinui said of his selection with a wry grin.
"I’ve been looking at the meteorologist forecasts which is making me nervous,"
"I’m definitely in a different situation and not in the calibre of some of the greats like Lote Tiqiri and Chris Latham but I put my hand up because the boys thought it might be fun to play together.
"When I found out that I was playing it was a bit of a reality check but it’s a good opportunity for me to run around with our players and remember what it’s like.
"I’ll be looking for places to hide in the shade and next to the big blokes running down my channel,"
The Rebels continue their pre-season with a 10-day camp in Queensland before returning home ahead of the 2017 Super Rugby season opener against the Blues at AAMI Park on Thursday, February 23.
Melbournerebels.com
