Rugby legend Tim Horan uses the most dreaded word in footy to describe the

•  Tim Horan describes Melbourne Rebels’ forward pack as ‘soft’
•  The Rebels went down 30-3 against the ACT Brumbies
•  The Rebels future is in doubt due to club’s financial issues

Wallabies legend Tim Horan described the Melbourne Rebels’ forward pack as ‘soft’ during their shocking 30-3 round-one defeat to the ACT Brumbies, and believes the club is feeling the pinch of off-field issues.

The financially-stricken club appear headed for closure after this season, with the franchise in debt of more than $20million. 

Appearing on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven program, Horan slammed the club’s forwards after the first match of 2024.

‘I thought the Rebels were really poor,’ Horan said. 

‘[Before the season] I thought [general manager] Nick Stiles had his fingerprints all over this team [with players like] Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and [Filipo] Daugunu. I thought, “This is as good a list as the Rebels have had”. They were poor.

‘The forward pack of the Rebels was as soft as I’ve seen them. 

‘I really hope they bounce back this weekend because Andrew Kellaway at fullback was the only shining light for that Rebels team.’

Melbourne believe the Western Force would have circled their Super Round rugby clash on Friday night as a must-win, as both teams look to rebound from disappointing opening losses. 

The sides clash as part of the competition’s annual Super Round at AAMI Park, with all 12 teams playing over three days at the Melbourne venue. 

Of the Australian teams, the NSW Waratahs and Crusaders square off on Saturday night while the ACT Brumbies and Chiefs meet Sunday afternoon and will be followed by the Reds and Hurricanes. 

Rebels attack coach Tim Sampson described their performance against the Brumbies as ‘deflating’ after two strong pre-season showings. 

‘After the build-up through the pre-season into round one, first home game, it was pretty deflating,’ Sampson told AAP. 

‘How we performed it was well below our expectations and it was across the board in every area of the game. 

‘We were very average with a lot of mistakes and poor decision-making.’ 

He said some of the match statistics made for positive reading like 42 defenders beaten and 17 entries into the opposition 22, but they frustratingly failed to…