The Melbourne Rising will be out to gain some respect when the play the Canberra Vikings. It is the third game of Round 6 of the NRC and The Roar has the match preview and live score updates from kickoff, at 1pm (AEDT).
The two teams are sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum, the struggling Rising have recorded one win this year while the Vikings are equal first and enjoyed a 66-5 thrashing of the Drua last week.
That doesn’t mean that this match is a dead rubber though, as the young Melbourne team are as exciting as they come, and will push the Vikings to the absolute limit.
The Rising has had an unlucky season by all accounts. Despite their strong performance and young, exciting squad, they have failed to produce the results this year.
They most recently went down to Queensland Country 54-12 and although finals are now out of contention, they can lay a good foundation for next year with solid performances in the remaining rounds.
The Melbourne team will be praising the return of Wallabies number 8 Lopeti Timani and will expect a big impact from him. The 124kg forward will likely have a big game as he tries to get back into the green and gold jersey.
The men from Canberra will still be flying high from their unexpected victory on the weekend. They played a good, measured game and certainly sent shockwaves throughout the competition. Their forward pack, in particular, their backrow, is looking very strong and are poised to do big things come finals time.
One of these players, flanker Tom Cusack, was an absolute monster last weekend and dominated the majority of statistics. Already boasting an impressive rugby resume, Cusack will surely sure up the Brumbies back row stocks next year after this fantastic NRC season.
Prediciton
The Vikings should win this game, however, they can’t travel down to Melbourne with the game already won in their heads. The Rising has an exciting squad who can do a lot of damage when they click. Expect the Vikings to be pushed right until the final whistle.
Vikings to win 32-20
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