Reds win at Melbourne Rebels

Teenager Chris F'Sautia, a late replacement for the sick Digby Ioane, scored the first try and his fellow winger Dom Shipperley, lock Adam Wallace-Harrison and replacement back Nick Frisby also crossed for the Super Rugby champions.

In their first match after the international window, Queensland tired in the second half as the many Wallabies in their ranks began to feel the lingering effects of the hard-fought series win over Wales.

The always game Rebels, hoping to give former Wallabies centre Stirling Mortlock a win in his final home match, hit back in the second half with tries from Kurtley Beale and Lachie Mitchell but never closed to within 10 points of the Reds.

To make matters worse, they lost flyhalf James O'Connor to a hamstring injury in his first match back after recovering from a liver injury which had kept him sidelined for a month.

"The game didn't go to plan, the big send off," Rebels captain Gareth Delve said in a pitchside interview.

"But we showed great character in the second half. In the first half we made too many mistakes and left ourselves with a mountain to climb."

Another Wallabies flyhalf, Quade Cooper, was replaced at halftime by the Reds after setting up Wallace-Harrison's try five minutes before the break.

It was a moment of magic from the least lauded of the playmakers on the field, however, which set up the best try of the night after 26 minutes.

Centre Mike Harris made the most of his pack winning a scrum against the head by chipping over the defensive line and regathering his own kick.

The Reds moved the ball quickly outside to F'Sautia, who looked like he might score a brace on his first start but he was forced to look for support and his pass back inside found Shipperley who crossed in the corner.

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Reds win at Melbourne Rebels