It may have not been the final result they were after but the fans who turned up at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Friday night at least saw a game of rugby - and that's a lot more than can be said for those in attendance at last year's Test between Australia and France.

Many of the 20-odd thousand who turned up on that occasion may have sworn off rugby for good; but those prepared to give the game another chance, by showing up to cheer on the Rebels, were more than rewarded for their show of faith.

The Waratahs' 38-28 victory over the Rebels produced some of the best rugby ever played in the AFL-mad city. The game also proved to the AFL fans that rugby, when played at pace, is every bit as entertaining as a day out at the MCG.

The match began with a series of brutal hits, setting the tone for what will likely be one of the most physical encounters of the Super Rugby season. Lopeti Timani and Mitch Inman hammered down for the hosts, while Waratahs skipper Dave Dennis responded with a couple of massive shots of his own; these hits are the type of which the AFL can no longer claim to deliver due to recent changes in its rules.

Lopeti Timani is becoming a cult hero in Melbourne © Getty Images

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Scott Higginbotham grabbed the game's opening five-pointer before Kurtley Beale showed he wouldn't be warned off the chip-and-chase in a brilliant kick and regather to provide for Stephen Hoiles. That man Timani was back with a try on the stroke of half-time following smart work from Luke Burgess, and the Rebels' second straight upset was on.

Having traded tries and penalties for much of the second half, the match was locked at 28-all with six minutes to run. And in almost a cruel twist of fate, it was Bernard Foley, the man who kicked the six points at Etihad last year, who cut through the Rebels' defence to send Beale in for the match-winner. Heartbreak. (For the Melburnians.)

The look of the scoreboard at the final siren, hopefully, only resulted in a short sigh of disappointment, for the preceding 75 minutes had delivered wonderful entertainment. And Melbourne fans should never be concerned for a lack of understanding of rugby's laws, as Waratahs winger Taqele Naiyaravoro can attest to similar confusion.

So as the Australian Rugby Union continues to look for a solution to the Rebels' disastrous bottom line, and as rumours of a move to ANZ Stadium swirl, all Rebels fans and Melbourne's wider sporting public can do is vote with their feet. There is a strong rugby community in Victoria, they simply must support top-level rugby if Melbourne is to maintain its mantle as "Australia's sporting capital"; after two stirring performances, top-level rugby is exactly what the Rebels are providing.

The important thing is that the 6-0 snorefest is no longer Melbourne's lasting memory of the 15-man game. That Test-match shocker should be confined to the scrapheap, along with the nine months of bitterness that has festered since with it.