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HURRICANES 45 REBELS 22
FULLTIME
80min - Rebels looking to spread it wide early from the kick-off. Delany interceps but the Hurricanes can't hold on at the breakdown. Ripley is again in space down the right wing! He tries the kick ahead but it's charged into touch.
The hooter has sounded but the Rebels have the scrum. They look to come back inside but lose the ball and that's fulltime!
78min - REBELS TRY RIPLEY
Rebels looking to bash their way over but the Hurricanes defence is holding firm. The home team is quite bunched in the midfield however so the Rebels switch! Ripley receives a long cutout pass and he goes in for his hat-trick! Not a bad effort off the bench.
76min - Hurricanes looking to play their way out of their own 22m it seems. Common sense prevails and Garden-Bachop and he clears it from inside his own try line up to the 22m.
74min - HURRICANES TRY MORGAN
The ball spills free and there's acres of space ahead for Morgan! He beats one and the first-five is in for the try. Just relentless pressure from the home team.
72min - Rebels with a chance to hit back with a lineout on the Hurricanes 5m. They win it and look to maul but the ref calls for them to use it. The Rebels finally do but are penalised not long after for not releasing.
70min - Hurricanes piling on the pressure now as the Reblels look spent. Owen Franks looks to help out at the breakdown but is instead penalised. Some relief for the visitors.
68min - Umaga-Jensen makes another strong run, beating a couple before the Hurricanes find some space down the left wing. Rebels defence struggling to hold onto their tackles now.
66min - HURRICANES TRY BARRETT
Rebels can't win their own lineout and the Hurricanes again look to make them pay. They shift right to Barrett, who spins out of a couple of tackles to crash over for the try. He showed great strength there.
66min: Hurricanes stringing together the phases, well over double-digits as Kirifi makes a strong run on the left wing. He finds Perenara, who shows quick hands to give to Rayasi but he's tackled into touch before he can reach out for the try.
64min: Hurricanes look to march their maul towards the try line but the Rebels defence is holding firm and force the turnover and clear. That was Hardwick again - he's been immense for the visitors.
62min: Perenara feed the scrum, Hurricanes scrum forces the penalty and we'll come back after the referee had played some advantage but the home team couldn't capatilise.
60min: Hurricanes looking good to extend their lead as Umaga-Jensen makes another strong run. They shift right to Savea, he almost beats one but runs out of room and slips into touch.
58min - HURRICANES TRY RAKETE-STONES
Hurricanes finding their feet now as Umaga-Jensen and Savea both have strong runs up the middle. They shift right to Pouri Rakete-Stones, he's tackled but reaches out and has the try! Good hit back by the Hurricanes.
56min - Hurricanes really look under the pump here - every second pass seems to hit the deck. Some relief here as the refereee awards them the penalty.
54min - Hurricanes looking to put the phases together but this Rebels rush defence is causing all sorts of problems. Perenara looks to relief pressure and clear but they charge that down.
52min - REBELS TRY RIPLEY
Leota loses his footing as the tried charging onto the ball but the Rebels are just a couple metres away. There's numbers out right, they shift quickly and Ripley goes in untouched for his second try. Good start to the second half here by the Rebels.
50min - Rebels putting together some nice phases now. Hurricanes struggling to number up and concede the penalty at the breakdown for the penalty. Rebels will have the lineout bout 10 metres out from the try line.
48min - Hardwick makes another strong run off the back of the lineout. Rebels shift left but Savea quickly shuts that down. They go right now and Hardwick again makes good metres.
46min - Perenara tries to fire a quick ball from the lineout win but Jordan Uelese is quick to it and intercepts the ball and he's in space! He looks unsure what to do with it and instead kicks it to nobody and that'll be the end of that. Fun passage of play.
44min - Morgan takes the line on and almost finds some success, but instead links up with a support runner. Hurricanes look to go quick but concede the penalty at the breakdown.
43min - Hardwick makes a strong run up the middle for the Rebels but the ball comes free and the Hurricanes look good to counter.
42min - We're back underway as Barrett and Savea look to bash their up the midfield. Gibson looks to be in a bit of space down the left wing but his foot was in touch.
HALFTIME
40min - Hurricanes win the lineout and look good for maul their way over the line for the try, but the Rebels defence holds up well and that'll be hafltime!
40min - Hurricanes win the lineout and look to attack as Perenara slips into half a gap and the home team are inching closer. Rebels player guilty of not releasing the player and we'll have a lineout just 5m out.
40min - The Rebels have what should be their last chance before the break to hit back. The win the lineout and look to launch from their forwards. Walker-Leawere goes off his feet and we'll have another lineout from the penalty.
Rebels win their lineout ball but give away the penalty at the breakdown. Hurricanes kick it out for the lineout.
38min - Rebels look to hit back right away and find some success down the left wing. There's space to be found but they can't link up the passes and the ball finds touch.
36min - HURRICANES TRY BLACKWELL
Perenara once again plays first-five off the back of the lineout win for the Hurricanes. They're just 10 metres out. They shift left and Jordie finds Blackwell, who shifts his hips beautifully and he goes in to score the try,
34min - Hurricanes playing with the advantage now as Morgan looks to have put Jordie clean through the hole but the ref calls them back as he says it was forward. Looked very flat.
32min - The Rebels get their first feed into the scrum and put a strong shove on, Hurricanes counter well but are penalised instead and the visitors can clear for a lineout.
30min - The Hurricanes with a great opportunity to score with a 5m scrum. Howden makes a good run from the back before Blakewell takes it up another metre but a Rebels player manages to dislodge the ball at the ruck and force the error.
28min - Spoke too soon as the Rebels lose their lineoutball. Hurricanes clear and look to put pressure on at the breakdown but concede yet another penalty.
26min - Rebels clear from the kick-off and the Hurricanes fluff the high ball and then concede the penalty. Momentum swing here?
24min - REBELS TRY RIPLEY
Rebels win their own lineout and start putting the phases together. They're just a metre out, with the penalty advantage. They shift right, Ripley gets the ball after some good dummy running and he crashes over in the corner.
22min - Morgan is smashed in the tackle as the Rebels look to counter ruck, the ball does come free and the Rebels are awarded the penalty after a Hurricanes player left his feet.
20min - HURRICANES TRY GIBSON
Blackwell takes in the lineout ball and the Hurricanes look to maul their way over. The Rebels defence are buckling and Blake Gibson crashes over for the try! Too easy.
18min - Hurricanes finding their feet now as we approach 14 phases but one too many offloads results in the ball being lost. They did have the advantage though so we'll have another lineout.
16min - The Hurricanes look to attack but are guilty of some wayward passes. The Rebels collect Morgan's kick but Leota is penalised for holding on. We'll have a lineout,
14min - Jordie makes a huge tackle in midfield before the Rebels look to attack down the left wing. To'ouma fancies the long pass but it's deemed forward and we'll come back.
12min - Love is hurried in his kick but gets a great bounce and the Rebels will have a lineout just inside their own half.
10min - HURRICANES TRY PROCTOR
Oh my! Proctor goes in untouched under the sticks after a beautiful set-piece move from the lineout. It only took two passes as Perenara finds his centre with a flat ball to extend the lead.
8min - Jordie Barrett makes a strong run up the middle and the Hurricanes win the penalty after a Rebels player is deemed to have joined the ruck incorrectly. Jordie finds touch for a Hurricanes lineout outside the Rebels 22m.
6min - Hurricanes guilty of infringing and concede a couple of penalties. The Rebels will have a shot at goal. To'ouma makes no mistake and nails the penalty goal
HUGE BLOW for the Rebels as Wallabies star, Reece Hodge is limping off the field.
4min - HURRICANES TRY SAVEA
The Hurricanes win the lineout ball from the penalty, they quickly shift wide, putting it through the hands before Julian Savea gets the ball at pace, beats one and goes over for the game's opening try. Too big and too strong with that space.
2min - Carter Gordon gets us underway and James Blackwell takes it in nicely before TJ Perenara clears long to Reece Hodge. The fullback returns it and the Hurricanes look to attack.
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the Hurricanes v Melbourne Rebels, from Wellington's Sky Stadium.
With just two weeks to go, the Hurricanes are needing other results to go their way in order to have a chance of playing their quarter-final at home.
Victory tonight would take the Hurricanes to fifth on the table, and put pressure on the Chiefs after their result against Western Force earlier today.
The Hurricanes, though, will face the Rebels without captain Ardie Savea - unavailable for personal reasons.
Instead, TJ Perenara leads as captain, while Dane Coles makes his first start of the year in the front row. Young fullback Ruben Love also returns to the side, after being out of action since April with a groin injury.
The Rebels meanwhile arrive in Wellington off the back of an impressive display against the Chiefs last week, albeit in a losing cause.
The Melbourne side are currently ninth on the ladder, and six points behind the Highlanders in the race for that last playoff spot.
But the visitors will be boosted by the return of Wallabies veteran Matt To'omua, returning to the side as one of four changes from the one that lost to the Chiefs.
TAB odds: Hurricanes $1.08, Rebels $7
Teams:
Hurricanes: 1-Tevita Mafileo, 2-Dane Coles, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-James Blackwell, 5-Isaia Walker-Leawere, 6-Blake Gibson, 7-Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8-TK Howden, 9-TJ Perenara (c), 10-Aidan Morgan, 11-Salesi Rayasi, 12-Jordie Barrett, 13-Billy Proctor, 14-Julian Savea, 15-Ruben Love
Reserves: 16-Asafo Aumua, 17-Pouri Rakete-Stones, 18-Owen Franks, 19-Scott Scrafton, 20-Caleb Delany, 21-Jamie Booth, 22-Jackson Garden-Bachop, 23-Wes Goosen
Rebels: 1-Matt Gibbon, 2-Jordan Uelese, 3-Pone Fa'amausili, 4-Matt Philip, 5-Rob Leota, 6-Michael Wells (c), 7-Brad Wilkin, 8-Tamati Ioane, 9-James Tuttle, 10-Carter Gordon, 11-Glen Vaihu, 12-Matt To'omua, 13-Andrew Kellaway, 14-George Worth, 15-Reece Hodge
Reserves: 16-James Hanson, 17-Cameron Orr, 18-Cabous Eloff, 19-Josh Canham, 20-Richard Hardwick, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Lukas Ripley, 23-Nick Jooste
