Melbourne Rebels come up short against Chiefs in Super Rugby cliffhanger Kurtley Beale of the Rebels is tackled during the round 12 Super Rugby match against the Chiefs in Melbourne. Picture: Scott Barbour Source: Getty Images THE Melbourne Rebels have been denied 39-33 in a cliffhanger Super Rugby clash with reigning champions, the Chiefs. Inspired by captain Scott Higginbotham, the Rebels twice recovered from 17-point deficits in a fantastic encounter containing 11 tries - only to lose in heartbreaking circumstances for the third week in a row. Narrowly denied by the Kings (three points) and Crusaders (four points), the Rebels pushed the 2012 champions to the brink in a six-point rebuff as Kurtley Beale made a striking return after a five-match suspension. Beale, back in the team for the first time since being sent home from South Africa for fighting, scored a try and was instrumental in another to Nick Phipps. Lock Hugh Pyle scored a pair and indefatigable Higginbotham also crossed. But despite lingering menacingly on the Chiefs' line for the last minute of the match - when a converted try would have secured victory - the Rebels were deprived of a deserved win. "That was heartbreaking, especially after last week, when we showed a lot of spirit," Jarrod Saffy said. We played with a lot of spirit and it's unfortunate we couldn't get across the line. The Rebels collected two bonus points - one for scoring four tries or more and another for losing by less than seven points. That will be of cold comfort to coach Damien Hill, whose team competed magnificently after the Chiefs put them to the sword in the opening stages. Desperate to make a positive start, the Rebels conceded possession and a try inside the first minute when unmarked Anscombe crossed in an ominous opening. Hugh Pyle of the Rebels scores a try during the round 12 Super Rugby match against the Chiefs in Melbourne. Picture: Scott Barbour The gap blew to 12-0 when inside centre Bundee Aki used referee Garratt Williamson as a blind before waltzing through the Melbourne defence. It would not be the first time the 13,107 crowd thought Williamson had an inordinately large impact on affairs. Higginbotham then combined superbly with Saffy and Tom English to score a disputed try before James O'Connor's conversion edged the Rebels to within five points. A dubious turnover led to a second Anscombe try, prompting Higginbotham to query why Williamson had failed to spot a Chiefs player not supporting his own weight at the breakdown. "I disagree, I disagree," Williamson repeated to Higginbotham. The Rebels captain replied: "Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not happening." It was an observation that held until the last. The crisis worsened for the Rebels when Anscombe profited from a brilliant break by Tim Nanai-Williams to notch his treble for a 24-7 lead - and the match was only 25 minutes old. Refusing to yield, the Rebels struck back with a beautifully worked try to Hugh Pyle after Jason Woodward, English and O'Connor sliced deep into the Chiefs defence. Bundee Aki of the Chiefs is tackled by Hugh Pyle of the Rebels during the round 12 Super Rugby match in Melbourne. At half-time, with momentum building, Melbourne had closed to 24-14 and, angered by a snide - and unpunished - hit from Brodie Retallick on Scott Fuglistaller at the breakdown, the Rebels were lifting. The Chiefs soon halted Melbourne's push as Sam Crane touched down after a string of scrums deep in Rebel territory weakened the host's defence. Anscombe's extras pushed the deficit back to 17 points. Beale's first act on his return from a five-game suspension betrayed his nerves as the champion booted the ball out at the restart. A replacement for Woodward, Beale soon weaved familiar magic, teaming with O'Connor, inspired Higginbotham and Phipps to send Pyle over for a second time. An Anscombe penalty was sign of Chiefs' respect for the Rebels - then came the Melbourne's best try of the season. O'Connor found charging Beale on his inside. Beale swerved through a throng of Chiefs defenders as Phipps and Higginbotham supported. Melbourne's charge appeared to have been snuffed out in cruel circumstances when Retallick charged down O'Connor's kick, regathered and touched down. But Beale re-entered the fray with a withering burst of speed to to thunder across the Chiefs' line to cut the lead to six points with five minutes to play. Despite the frenzied efforts of Nic Henderson, Ged Robinson, Saffy, Pyle, Higginbotham, Mitch Inman and Rory Sidey, the Chiefs held on. Three things we learned about the Rebels Jarrod Saffy struggled to make the Rebels 22 at the start of the season. Over the past two weeks, the former NRL premiership player has been a revelation. Immensely strong in the tackle and with ball in hand, he has added vital grunt to an impressive back row led by Scott Higginbotham and Scott Fuglistaller. If the AAMI Park crowd expected Tom English - Melbourne's supposed "weakest" backline link - to be stifled by the presence of returning Kurtley Beale, they were pleasantly surprised. The former Australian sevens representative repeatedly threatened the advantage line, using strength, speed and guile to fend off defenders to play a key attacking role. Scott Higginbotham has taken to the captaincy with tremendous aplomb, leading with unswerving conviction. The Wallaby back row is also adept at keeping referees on their toes - not that it had any tangible impact on Garratt Williamson. CHIEFS 39 (Gareth Anscombe 3, Bundee Aki, Sam Cane, Brodie Retallick tries Anscombe 3 cons pen) bt MELBOURNE REBELS 33 (Hugh Pyle 2, Kurtley Beale, Scott Higginbotham, Nick Phipps tries James O'Connor 4 cons) at AAMI Park. Referee: Garratt Williamson. Crowd: 13,107