Rebels hammered 30-3 in bleak opening night to Super season

MELBOURNE : Besieged by creditors and living on borrowed time, the Melbourne Rebels opened what may be their last season in Super Rugby Pacific with an error-strewn 30-3 defeat by the ACT Brumbies in front of a disappointing home crowd on Friday.

The future is uncertain and the present is bleak for the Rebels' staff and players, with the club mired in more than A$20 million ($13.11 million) of debt and given no guarantee they will remain in the competition beyond 2024.

With match ticket sales held up until Monday following a last-minute deal brokered between Rugby Australia and Melbourne Rectangular Stadium's operator, the crowd was sparse.

They were also largely disappointed as the Rebels botched a string of lineouts early and flyhalf Carter Gordon pinged a penalty kick off the post.

It wasn't until the 32nd minute that the Rebels had their first and only score when Gordon found his radar on a second kick for goal.

By that time, though, the Brumbies had already converted two tries to winger Corey Toole, the former national rugby sevens player completing a neat chip-and-chase for the first five-pointer.

The Brumbies blew out the lead after halftime to 27-3 with a couple of penalties and another kick-and-chase try by number eight Charlie Cale.

Rebels captain Rob Leota briefly raised the crowd's spirits by peeling away from a scrum and bolting over the try-line.

But the try was cancelled after a review by the television match official and Cale completed the rout with a second try late on for the Brumbies.

The Rebels unveiled a raft of new signings, including former Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and prop Taniela Tupou, who started on the bench.

Along with new scrumhalf Jack Maunder and second-season flyhalf Gordon, the group