Melbourne Rebels hire John Muggleton to improve their defence - Super Rugby News
Melbourne Rebels are set to right the wrongs of previous Super Rugby championship that earned them last position due to their poor defence. Rebels made their Super Rugby debut in 2011 as the 15th derby but failed to make a good impression in the
tournament. John Muggleton, who has been hired as a senior assistant coach by the Rebels, told journalists on November 11 that his side lacks in proper defence techniques and he will work on this particular area on a priority basis.
The Rebels cut a sorry figure by winning just three games after 15 outings as they failed to keep their opponents away from their scoring lines. Their untidy back bunch was exposed to the other sides, which was exploited time and again in the tournament.
They conceded as many as 570 points in their 15 matches including a huge number of tries. The Rebels were smashed with 74 tries in the event which speaks a lot about their rusty defence.
Rod MacQueen, the pioneer coach of Melbourne Rebels, failed to discover the loop holes of his side and ultimately retired from the position at the end of season. Damien Hill has been given the responsibilities of head coach for the forthcoming season of
Super Rugby, starting in February 2012.
Talking to the media about the meagre defence of Rebels, John Muggleton, said that his side is under immense pressure and they have to come out from this situation as soon as possible. He added that, “Disorganised and continually under pressure. Most of
the tries scored against the team were first two phases and off turnovers. We've got work to do with the ball in hand and definitely without the ball in hand to make sure we're a lot more stable than last year.”
He also commented that, “We don't want to be middle of the range, we want to get up. If we leak about 17 points a game, which means two tries and a penalty goal we'll be there around the end of the season.”
Rebels will play their first match of Super Rugby 2012 against Waratahs on March 2, at AAMI Park, Melbourne.
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