Amid the second half chaos, the Melbourne Rebels recorded a strong win over the Fijian Drua to head into the top four for the night.
All the talk will be about the two red cards but the Rebels deserve plenty of credit for their fight as they record back-to-back wins.
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So what did we learn?
The talking point from this game will be the red cards to Frank Lomani and Jone Koroiduadua in the second half.
Both were sheer moments of madness from two crucial members of the Drua side as the frustration of the defeat showed.
They were totally unnecessary and as Justin Harrison put it ‘total stupidity.’ It went beyond the spirit of the game and halted the Drua's momentum as they tried to get back into the game.
Both should receive long suspensions for their actions.
Carter Gordon’s performance was a rollercoaster for the Rebels.
He was smacked in the second minute in shades of Saint Etienne that nearly led to a try before missing touch from eight metres out, kicking it dead. Gordon then missed a conversion that weirdly dipped and dived under the crossbar.
After this, he produced the type of form that saw him selected as the lone Wallabies ten for the World Cup. He threw a lovely ball to Glen Vaihu to set up a second-half try, nailing conversions from the sidelines.
Gordon then got some revenge of his own, rattling a Drua attacker with a great hit to produce the turnover, following this up with a great tip pass for Vaihu’s second.
The Wallaby needs to take confidence from the second half if the Rebels are to be a serious top four contender.
The Rebels gave a masterclass in how to deal with a man advantage.
Leone Rotuisolia’s yellow card changed the game after the Drua’s strong start, with the Rebels backing their forwards to rumble their way over the line for four quick tries.
They were patient with their approach and picked their moment to target a Drua side that was panicking.
The pressure got too much, as shown by the two red cards, and the Rebels should be proud of the way they closed out the game.
The Rebels’ scrum has been a delight to watch this year, dominating the Fijian Drua.
A lot has been made of Taniela Tupou’s start to the season but when you have a player in Sam Talakai’s form, you can afford to use him as the ultimate super sub as he burst through the line to set up Vaihu's second try.
Talakai and Gibbon have been brilliant in 2024, with Jordan Uelese putting in a great shift after a much better night at lineout time.
Also, at what stage can there be a loan system in SRP given Wallaby Pone Fa’amausili is stuck on the sidelines behind Talakai and Tupou? Just asking for a mate in the West…
As mentioned, the Rebels and Carter Gordon were guilty of one of Rugby’s biggest cardinal sins and were fortunate it didn't cost them the game
The inability to find the line has been a plague in Rugby recently, with Gordon putting the ball dead from eight metres out. It was an unnecessary move to kick it so close to the touchline.
They then switched off at the resulting goalline dropout and allowed Fiji to be Fiji, playing rapid Rugby to run 90 metres before Lomani crossed for the opening try inside the first quarter.
