Chiefs 22
Rebels 16
His replacement grabbed 17 points and put in a solid display but the Chiefs missed Aaron Cruden's spark against the Rebels tonight.
While Gareth Anscombe's boot brought the out-of-sorts defending champions their first victory in almost a month, their explosive attack fired few shots without their dynamic co-captain.
Better sides than Melbourne - still without a win outside of Australia - could punish a blunted Chiefs and, with Cruden on the sidelines for another five weeks, better sides are on the way.
Next week the Chiefs host the Crusaders and seven days later they face a tricky trip to Canberra to play the Brumbies. Those fixtures are the type of occasions where Cruden would show his value; he is often the key that unlocks even the best defence.