Melbourne Rebels coach Damien Hill has warned not to expect too much from star recruit Kurtley Beale in his debut for the Super Rugby team against the Queensland Reds on Saturday.

Likewise, he has urged patience as the Rebels work hard to shore up their porous defence.

Wallabies fullback Beale missed the Rebels’ opening 35-19 loss to the NSW Waratahs with a hamstring injury.

Fellow big name recruit James O’Connor put in a modest Rebels debut at centre in that match and Hill said it might help him to have international teammate Beale playing behind him.

But he said the new backline combinations needed time to gel properly.

“The more time we have together, the more time they are going to have to form these combinations and know each other,” Hill said.

“Unfortunately, we are still going through the process.

“That’s just the way it is – time’s time and we need it.”

Hill also labelled the team’s defence a work in progress under former Wallabies defensive guru John Muggleton who arrived in the off-season.

But he said the second-half defensive performance against the Waratahs was much better than the first, when they constantly missed tackles.

He said the players were confident they could produce more like the second half against the Reds.

“John did a lot of work with them in the pre-season,” Hill said.

“It is a building process. We’re not going to get there in one game. It’s going to take some time.”

The Rebels still plan to appeal a 10-match suspension handed out to lock Adam Byrnes for making contact to the eye of the Waratahs’ Tom Carter.

But they are yet to receive the paperwork associated with the suspension, which they need to lodge the appeal.

Hill said he was yet to finalise who would replace Byrnes in the team, but he confirmed captain Stirling Mortlock remained unavailable with a calf injury.