Sometimes you need to hear things you don’t want to hear. In the case of the Melbourne Rebels, it was that they were “soft”, according to Wallabies legend Tim Horan.
It was the barb that began one of the greatest comebacks in the team’s history after coming from 34-19 down to win 48-34 at home against the Western Force.
Horan took aim at the Rebels after their 30-3 drubbing at the hands of the ACT Brumbies in round one, squarely blaming the front row for its lacklustre performance.
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The Rebels came out firing, and although they weren’t perfect to begin with in round two of Super Rugby Pacific, they built their scrum and steadied their line-out and fought their way back into the contest.
Rebels head coach Kevin Foote spoke post-match with Horan at his side, offering a chuckle when referencing the comments made by the Wallabies legend.
“If you think about last year, we lost a few games in the back end and we only tipped the lead for the first time in the 58th minute,” said Foote.
“The guys hung in. You know, there were a few comments about our character this week so I spoke about that at half-time and the guys reacted. So it was pretty good.”:
Horan, eager to respond, reiterated his stance.
“Last week, you’d probably agree. I called the forward pack soft last week,” said Horan on Stan Sport’s coverage.
“I was always a big supporter of the list you’ve got together in the off-season. I just thought they let the Brumbies into the game last week, but tonight they were outstanding – right across from one to eight and also players that came on.”
Captain Rob Leota said those comments had been read by the team, including forwards coach Geoff Parling who got “a little bit emotional” before the match.
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Foote said he was proud of the team’s performance and was comfortable with Horan’s view.
“I think there’s a lot of trust there,” he explained.
“We know, obviously finding our connections a little bit, we went to our scrum and the guys were mature about it.
“We built that innings and by the back end, like you say Lukhan (Salakaia-Loto) was coming.
“That’s fine, it’s a fair comment, that’s what you said, and our guys reacted, so good for them.”
The Rebels will continue their campaign in round three against Moana Pasifika in Hamilton.