Fullback Dane Haylett-Petty's return from injury has provided a timely boost for the Melbourne Rebels as they seek to win their final match of Super Rugby AU against the Western Force on Saturday and qualify for a post-season for the first time.
The Rebels need to beat the winless Force by at least four points on Saturday in Newcastle (kickoff 3 p.m.) to ensure they finish third in the domestic competition.
The ACT Brumbies, who have already locked up top spot and guaranteed a place in the final on Sept. 19, face the second-placed Queensland Reds in Brisbane in the last game of the regular season later on Saturday.
The Reds play the third-placed team next weekend, with the New South Wales Waratahs currently occupying that position but need the Force to provide a massive upset to retain it, for a spot in the final.
"It's really nice to have Dane's experience back in the team," Rebels coach Dave Wessels told reporters on Thursday of being able to name the first-choice Wallabies fullback for the must-win game.
"He adds a calming voice to the team and we've missed him."
Haylett-Petty's experience will be needed if the Rebels, who have been based in New South Wales for the last two months after a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, are able to forget their experiences of the last two years.
Having struggled since they joined Super Rugby in 2011, they had their best chances to make the playoffs in 2018 and again last year, only to lose their final regular season games and have other sides sneak past them into the quarter-finals.
Wessels said a lack of consistency had concerned him this season but he felt confident they would come right on Saturday.
"I don't want to sound arrogant but we feel that we can beat every team in this competition," Wessels said.
"We feel like if we can put the performance on, and everyone is desperate to do that ... we can win the comp."
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Kim Coghill)
