Playing full 80 minutes the key for Melbourne Rebels Melbourne Rebel Jarrod Saffy says his team needs to learn to play out full games. Picture: Colleen Petch. OF all the Super Rugby issues that have so far marked Melbourne's rollercoaster season, lack of a sustained effort is chief among them. The Rebels have blown match-winning positions against the Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, NSW Waratahs and the Southern Kings, depriving themselves of four potential wins. Instead of sitting mid-table - where many pundits expected Damien Hill's team to finish this season - the Rebels are 12th overall with a 2-6 record. For Jarrod Saffy, the cure to Melbourne's woes is simple: play 80 minutes. "We are chasing that full 80-minute performance," Saffy said as Melbourne ventures to Christchurch today to challenge the Crusaders. We've been in strong positions this season against the top teams and for a variety of reasons we have not been able to capitalise. We need to rectify some things in terms of playing out the whole match. We're trying to complete that whole 80-minute performance. The team is capable of playing really good football. The last time we played the full 80 minutes was against the Crusaders last year. If we don't commit to that on Sunday, we'll be in for a tough afternoon. Melbourne's 28-19 demolition of the seven-time Super Rugby champion stands as its finest victory. Laden with All Blacks, the Crusaders are modestly placed in eighth position with a 4-4 record. But, ominously, Todd Blackadder's team has a 3-0 record at AMI Park with a cumulative 120-47 scoreline this season. Saffy returns to the Rebels starting XV for the first time a year after suffering a number of frustrating injuries. The Crusaders, still without World Cup-winning All Black skipper Richie McCaw, have regained Test rugby's highest point-scorer Dan Carter. But, emphasising jaw-dropping depth, the Crusaders have chosen to leave the mercurial five-eighth on the bench. Crusaders' assistant coach Aaron Mauger said the Rebels have lost the advantage of surprise, but warned his own troops to be on guard. " (Crusaders') players have to prepare the same for the Rebels as they would if they were playing a top placed team - if they were playing the Brumbies next week," he said. It shouldn't look any different from what it looked like last week to what it will look like next week. That comes down to respect, and I think this competition has shown that anyone can beat anybody on their day, and if we're not right and we turn up with an arrogant attitude we'll get toppled.