Rebels run down by clinical Crusaders

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WASTEFUL Melbourne Rebels fell victim to the clinical Crusaders as a priceless Super Rugby opportunity slipped away with a 25-19 defeat.

Despite having more possession (58-42) than the seven-time champions, Melbourne imploded with sloppy set piece lapses in a dour affair.

Crusaders sharpshooter Tom Taylor anchored the visitor's triumph, landing six penalties and a conversion from seven attempts.

MATCH CENTRE: Melbourne Rebels v Crusaders

Crusaders' prop Ben Funnell and Melbourne flanker Scott Fuglistaller produced the only tries.

Desperate to rebound from the awful 32-7 loss to Western Force, the Rebels cost themselves with anxious handling and a willingness to kick away possession instead running the ball.

It was not until the final five minutes, when trailing by 13 points, that Melbourne's adventurous running game surfaced, leading to Fuglistaller's try.

Lachlan Mitchell is stopped in his tracks by the Crusaders defence. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Corp Australia

In a contest of persistent niggle between the forwards, referee James Leckie intervened on a regular basis as the first half was mired in a battle of penalties

Leckie showed no leniency from scrum infractions and was particularly severe on Melbourne props Toby Smith and Laurie Weeks.

Taylor converted all of four first-half penalty opportunities, while Melbourne's Jason Woodward converted three from four to leave the Rebels trailing 12-9 at half-time.

The Crusaders kicked away to a 13-point lead deep into the second half before the Rebels lifted to claim a bonus point.

Melbourne's situation was not helped by injuries to Weeks (head) and Jason Woodward (knee).

Rebels flyhalf Bryce Hegarty steps past Tom Taylor. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Corp Australia

Earlier, Woodward had been hugely influential, slotting his first penalty from 40m after only three minutes when prop Wyatt Crockett failed to release the ball carrier.

An offside decision against Scott Fuglistaller allowed Taylor to square the ledger before Woodward nailed his second when Luke Romano infringed in the ruck.

The lead was quickly erased when Mitch Inman was caught offside, gifting Taylor a simple three-pointer.

Woodward missed a penalty attempt soon after before Tom English foiled a certain Crusaders' try as the intensity lifted.

The visitors edged ahead midway through the first half when Taylor nailed another penalty after Weeks was caught ahead of the kicker.

The Rebels were warned by Leckie after Sean McMahon was deemed to be offside deep in Melbourne's territory before Taylor drilled his fourth.

Mitch Inman gets in the clear for the Rebels. Picture: Colleen Petch. Source: News Corp Australia

Brilliant anticipation by Fuglistaller saw the flanker charge down a Crusaders' drop-out to earn a 5m scrum, only to see Rebels lose possession when on the opposition try-line.

Melbourne's problems deepened when a dazed Weeks was assisted from the pitch after a clash of heads.

Woodward's third penalty cut the Crusaders' half-time lead to three.

The tiresome trend continued immediately on resumption when Higginbotham was pinged for offside.

Worse followed when Woodward was crunched in a tackle and was replaced by Angus Roberts before Bryce Hegarty's penalty dragged Melbourne back to within three.

Ben Funnell delivered an overdue try when the hooker linked on to a sweet attacking move. Taylor slotted the conversion and suddenly the Crusaders had a 10-point buffer,

A sixth Taylor penalty put the game out of reach before a fine Melbourne rolling maul saw Fuglistaller cross the chalk.

CRUSADERS 25 (Ben Funnell try Tom Taylor con 6 pens) bt MELBOURNE REBELS 19 (Scott Fuglistaller try Bryce Hegarty con Jason Woodward 3, Hegarty pens) at AAMI Park. Referee: James Leckie. Crowd: 13,942.

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