The Melbourne Rebels are in danger of losing three of their best backs to injury but the ACT Brumbies are refusing to take their opposition lightly ahead of their clash on Friday night.
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Star Rebels trio Kurtley Beale, Mark Gerrard and Lachlan Mitchell are all in doubt for the match at AAMI Park after suffering injuries in their 66-24 shellacking by the Wellington Hurricanes on the weekend.
Beale suffered a shoulder problem, while Gerrard and Mitchell were also injured in ferocious second-half tackles by reserve Hurricanes hooker Motu Matu'u. Mitchell was knocked out and had scans on his neck, while it's feared Gerrard has a fractured sternum. The Rebels are already missing Wallaby James O'Connor and ex-England Test flyhalf Danny Cipriani has returned to Europe.
The competition's newest team is 12th on the ladder while the Brumbies are at the top of the Australian conference and will be desperate for a win after losing to the Queensland Reds on Saturday night.
The Brumbies' one-point loss to the Reds means their conference lead has been cut to just five points.
The clash between the Reds and Brumbies was built up as a final and the intense battle lived up to its brutal expectations in a forwards-dominated match.
After more than a month of high-intensity clashes, captain Ben Mowen insisted the Brumbies would not drop their standards against the lower-ranked Rebels.
''We haven't had a history of that at all at this club,'' Mowen said.
''We went from the [Pretoria] Bulls at Loftus [in South Africa] to the [Johannesburg] Lions who are one of the bottom-placed sides and played extremely well that week. These guys are so hungry that you don't have to motivate them. That's the beauty of this group, they're so motivated to do well each week and the fact we've got ourselves in a position to be top of the conference makes us even hungrier.''
Former Brumby Gerrard showed plenty of courage in the Rebels' loss. Knowing his side had no reserves left, he opted to remain on the field for the final 20 minutes despite clutching at his sternum any time he was tackled. with AAP
FRIDAY
Super Rugby round 15: Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park, Melbourne, 7.40pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.