Brumbies Attacking Flair Blossoming In Vikings Colours

Wed, Sep 5, 2018, 5:02 AM
Brumbies.rugby
by Brumbies.rugby

Canberra Vikings couldn’t start their 2018 National Rugby Championship season with a win, but it appears that the philosophy of flowing rugby is flourishing in the Capital. 

An all-Brumbies backline lined out against the NRC defending Champions Queensland Country, and put on a show, albeit in a closely contested defeat.

On Vikings duties but donning the traditional ACT Kookaburras’ colours, Canberra scored five tries in total, including a hat-trick to hooker Folau Fainga’a.

Two of Fainga’a’s five-pointers came off the back of a maul, the other being a fantastic solo-effort from the newly capped Wallaby.

The other pair of Vikings tries were superb. Lausii Taliauli showed his pace and power for his try.

Receiving the ball off a quick ruck, the bruising winger stood up the first defender and turned on the gas, burning Wallabies Number 8 Caleb Timu to score under the sticks.

In the second period, after Irae Simone’s introduction had shifted Jordan Jackson-Hope into flyhalf, the game got its take-home highlight.

Awarded a free-kick at the scrum, Joe Powell reacted quickest, peeling to his right before bumping the ball behind Simone to Jackson-Hope.

The former Junior Wallaby no time to think, instinctively popping the perfect pill inside to a steaming Andy Muirhead whose line was as precise as the no-look pass.

Muirhead was in fine-form for the Brumbies to finish 2018 and made no mistake once he was released behind the visitor’s defensive line, racing away untouched for the try of the night.

In the end, the display couldn’t salvage neither win nor bonus-point for the Vikings, but from a Brumbies perspective, the highs certainly outweighed the lows.

Les Leuluaialii-Makin got through a tonne of work at tighthead, and his replacement Tom Ross went well in his NRC debut.

Ross recently signed his first contract with the Brumbies having impressed both at club and international level.

Rory Arnold looked every bit the Wallabies starter in waiting and Darcy Swain seemed comfortable at this level a year on from his first foray into pro-footy.

Swain made his Brumbies-bow in 2018 and will hope to use his time with the Canberra Vikings to earn more minutes next season.

Blake Enever was sharp at blindside showing his versatility.

Ben Hyne played like a man whose put his injury troubles behind him, hungry for Super Rugby success in the new year.

Joe Powell combined well with both Wharenui Hawera and Jackson-Hope, and Len Ikitau showed some flashes from 13 whilst Wallaby Tom Banks couldn’t get on the score sheet but was still brilliant from fullback.


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