Perennial battlers Melbourne Rebels and Western Force are both looking to sharpen their attacking game to improve their chances of a maiden Super Rugby finals appearance.

The two youngest Australian franchises are the only local teams yet to make the finals.

They were the second and third-lowest scoring teams in the 2014 competition, with the Rebels scoring 303 points and the Force 343.

Melbourne captain and Wallaby back-rower Scott Higginbotham was the Rebels’ equal-top tryscorer in 2014, but wants to see the backs getting over the line more this year.

“It’s something they need to work on,” he said.

“It’s something that our attack game has been lacking.”

Higginbotham said the Rebels have added depth to their backline in the off-season with former Wallabies and Reds duo, Mike Harris and Dom Shipperley.

Western Force coach Michael Foley is also targeting a more penetrating offence this season.

“The simplest thing is to be a little bit more potent with our attack,” he said.

Last year the Rebels came last with a 4-12 win-loss record, while the Force finished eighth with a 9-7 record.

The Force won one more game than the fifth and sixth-placed finalists, but managed only four bonus points, the second-lowest of any team.

“Nine games was the fourth-most wins in the competition but there were a couple of teams that won eight games and made the finals,” Foley said.

“We need to find a way to take points in more games.”

Higginbotham is pleased with the Rebels’ new recruits, but he certainly never thought he’d be teaming up again with veteran Radike Samo, a fellow Wallaby back-rower who is returning to Super Rugby for the 2015 season.

“That’s a bit of a blast from the past,” he said. “He’s a fantastic athlete and he’ll be a great asset for the Rebels.”

Higginbotham wants to finish on a high in his final season with the club before he joins the post-World Cup exodus with a move to Japan.

“I’m extremely keen to see the Rebels at their full potential,” Higginbotham said of the Rebels, who have never won an overseas game.

They have a tough start, with a road trip to Christchurch against the Crusaders on February 13, followed by home games against the Waratahs and the Brumbies – all three of which were semi-finalists last year.

Rebels’ coach Tony McGahan said after enormous amounts of change within the squad, they were getting closer to playing finals.

“We’re certainly in the mix, whether it’s this year or next year, we don’t know,” he said.