Melbourne Rebels stars James O'Connor and Angus Roberts hurt in 36-32 loss to Blues Melbourne Rebels players Jason Woodward and Shota Horie tackled the Blues' Francis Saili. A fine Melbourne comeback was overshadowed by injuries to James O'Connor and Angus Roberts and a familiar first-half defensive lapse as the Rebels fell 36-32 to the Blues at Eden Park tonight. After conceding five tries in the first half, the Rebels outscored the Blues, three tries to one, fter the interval to earn two bonus points with a five-try performance. But the defeat continues Melbourne's exasperating run of near-misses. It has now lost its past five matches by seven, three, four, six and four point margins. The Rebels trailed by 19 points at half-time - 29-10 - but outplayed the Auckland title contender in the second term. But there are concerns over O'Connor's health after he appeared to suffer from chest problems. Roberts' season could be over with an arm injury. O'Connor's unhappy match began with three missed goal kicks - two penalty attempts and a conversion - and it was over inside 26minutes when the Test star left the field after being crunched by All Black Rene Ranger. Already struggling with a chest issue, O'Connor was replaced by Angus Roberts. Roberts' on-field stint was even briefer. He lasted eight minutes before trudging from the field cradling his left arm. He returned to the bench after half-time with his arm in a sling. With Kurtley Beale absent because of disciplinary reasons, Melbourne's injury count was worryingly high and the scoreboard was even worse. The Blues plundered five first-half tries, securing a bonus point, with a treble of touchdowns to winger Frank Halai and a double to centre Francis Saili. Mitch Inman and Scott Higginbotham's fine efforts kept Melbourne's deficit to 19-points at half-time. But Melbourne's inaccuracy - in attack and defence - again sabotaged its work ethic. Missed passes and tackles repeatedly stripped the underdogs of precious momentum as the Blues sensed a huge win. Blues' coach Sir John Kirwan demanded his troops be ruthless and relentless in the second half - but they had no figured on a Rebels' renaissance. Melbourne hammered the Blues' line with both Jarrod Saffy and Nic Henderson going over the chalk, but both were ruled not to have got the ball down. Eventually, centre Lachie Mitchell crossed for a deserved try - and their intensity lifted with Higginbotham, Saffy and Scott Fuglistaller all excelling at the breakdown. Fuglistaller, Laurie Weeks, Cadeyrn Neville and Hugh Pyle continued to pile on the pressure, earning just reward when Inman scored a second try. Jason Woodward's conversion suddenly cut the gap to seven points and there was an unlikely sense of panic among the Eden Park faithful. And when the Rebels cut the lead to four with only 13 minutes left after Brendon O'Connor was pinged for a tackling infringement, Woodward's penalty gave the Rebels a real sniff. Sensing the danger, explosive Ranger imposed himself to push the Blues back out to an 11-point buffer, after a crucial turnover cost the Rebels when deep in attack. But Woodward earned a post-siren try and conversion to earn Melbourne a second bonus point. Scott Higginbotham is the best loose forward in Australia. The acting Rebels' captain deserves to start in the Wallabies' back-row in the First Test of the British and Irish Lions series. He continues to impress with intensity and menace at the breakdown. And when he has ball in hand, he is almost impossible to stop at full pace. Missed tackles and missed passes continue to erode Melbourne's progress. As much as the Rebels have dedicated themselves to attacking football, defence remains problematic. Too often, the Blues were able to march through huge gaps created by failure to bring opponent and ball to ground. As with all packs, the Rebels' forwards are largely unfashionable - Higginbotham aside - but they continue to battle stoically, often in the face of mountainous odds. Japan's Shota Horie, replacing in-form Ged Robinson, was an impressive addition in difficult debut circumstances. Back Bryce Hegarty produced enough quality touch to suggest he is an asset.