It overshadowed the poor scrummaging, missed tackles and lost possession from both sides but there were flashes of excellent play - enough to keep the excitement level high.

Rhinos stole the points with a penalty near the bell to put the final scores at 27-26.

Both teams scored four tries; Wellington from sparkling backline play and Rhinos from hardworking forward drives.

The Redbacks' backs were on song from the opening whistle and gave their opponents a torrid time all afternoon.

Aside from the pace along the line a feature of their play was the pinpoint-accurate passing which allowed them to get on the outside and make easy metres.

Rhinos halfback Chris Hobson, who played so well last week, was slow around the paddock and provided poor service to five-eighth Kade Goodwin who was constantly hammered by the defence.

But, to his great credit, Hobson fought on gamely to be one of the best on the day.

It was revealed after the game that Hobson injured his shoulder in the first tackle of the game but, despite being in great pain, bravely stayed on the field and even had enough haggis to score.

The first half saw Dubbo ahead by just a try at 19-14 but the Wellington backline was running their opponents ragged and it was only a desperate sliding defence that managed to contain the attack most of the time.

Man of the match Jordan Davis, rake Beau Adamson and Hobson scored in the first stanza but it seemed only a matter of time before the hometown backline asserted their superiority.

However the complexion of the game changed after the half when brilliant local fullback Mitch Stubberfield limped off with an ankle injury. Then Rhino dynamo, Kane Rich, was forced from the field with ankle ligament damage.

Wellington became unsettled and allowed the Rhino defence time to man up out wide and stifle the attack. The second half developed into a battle of attrition with the score fluctuating by a few points each way.

Outscoring the Rhinos by two tries to one Redbacks had clawed their way to a two-point lead late into the second half.

The Rhino pack drove downfield in one final assault and won a penalty on the quarter line. Hobson coolly slotted the kick and Rhinos had escaped with a 27-26 victory.

In the sheds, coach Darren Taylor was critical of the overall performance; particularly the team's inability to fire up from the opening whistle and allowing our opponents the jump.

Poor ball control, losing tight head scrums and jumping poorly in the lineouts all contributed to a lucky result.

Taylor should be happy with the debutants Williams, Nathan Rich, Smith and Codey Riley; all gave it their best shot.

Jordan Davis was outstanding and Kade Goodwin stood up to everything the Redbacks could throw at him, while Bryce Adamson and Tom Kianuku worked hard all afternoon and Andy McClymont was everywhere in defence.

o DUBBO RHINOS 27 (Beau Adamson 2, Jordan Davis, Chris Hobson tries; Hobson 2 convs, pen) def WELLINGTON REDBACKS 26 (James Cusack, Steve Matheson, Sam Troth, Ben Power tries; Mitch Stubberfield 2, Mitch Cusack convs)