Waratahs pay the penalty as Rebels land handsome win

Matt Toomua booted 19 points as the Melbourne Rebels inflicted a painful 29-10 defeat on a struggling Waratahs side in Super Rugby AU.

For the Rebels, it was a record margin of victory over the Waratahs, surpassing the 24-10 win they achieved in February of this year.

Ryan Louwrens and Marika Koroibete scored the tries for the Rebels, Louwrens driving over in the 37th minute and Koroibete dashing in three minutes from the end of the game at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Waratahs had been keeping pace early on, thanks to a converted try from wing Alex Newsome, but they repeatedly gave away penalties and it cost them dearly.

Waratahs coach Rob Penney afterwards claimed his team, “weren’t where we needed to be emotionally and the Rebels taught us a lesson”.

“I think we were out-muscled and I think we were out-passioned today,” he added.

Compounding the misery was a broken rib injury sustained by Rob Simmons, the Waratahs captain.

Rebels coach Dave Wessels, quoted on the Super Rugby website, praised his pack, saying: “I’m very proud, in particular, of our young forwards. There’s a lot of young backs going around the comp that are getting a lot of praise, but I’m proud of the forwards that are developing.”

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