Callida Consulting John I Dent Cup Round Four Preview

Fri, May 7, 2021, 2:22 AM
Brumbies.rugby
by Brumbies.rugby
Wests remain undefeated in 2021 after a win over the Royals in Round Three. Photo: Lachlan Lawson/Brumbies Media
Wests remain undefeated in 2021 after a win over the Royals in Round Three. Photo: Lachlan Lawson/Brumbies Media

The Callida Consulting John I Dent Cup and Premier 15s have produced some thrilling games of rugby in the opening three rounds of the season and when round four kicks off we should expect no different.

Gage Roads Game of the Week

Canberra Royals VS Tuggeranong Vikings

The Royals will be looking to get their first win of the season when they host the Vikings at Phillip Enclosed on Saturday. The Royals pushed the Lions all the way to the final whistle last week and will take plenty of positives out of that game.

Pedro Rolando looms as a danger man in this Royals and his ability to find attacking opportunities from Scrumhalf should keep the Vikings on notice when defending in their 22 and rampaging outside centre Noah Rabici is always threatening with the ball in hand.

The Vikings played with 14 men for the second half of their last match and the confidence gained by the team as they still managed to pull off the victory will be huge going into this matchup and beyond.

Uni-Norths Owls VS Gungahlin Eagles

Uni-Norths felt the sting of defeat at the hands of Tuggeranong last start and will be looking to avoid that feeling again when they go head-to-head with the Gungahlin Eagles at ANU Field 1.

A late try and an 85th minute penalty goal from a 14-man Vikings side handed the Owls their first loss of the season and they will be determined to capitalise on their chances this week, look for the home side to come out firing to make up for last week.

The Eagles have piled on the points since their round one loss to the Lions, putting on a colossal 118 points in their last two matchups with their outside backs being the main beneficiaries. If the Owls don’t get their edge defence right on gameday, it could be a long day at the office.

Wests Lions VS Queanbeyan Whites

While these two teams might be at opposite ends of the table, this is anything but an easy matchup for the undefeated Wests Lions when they host the Queanbeyan Whites at Jamison Oval.

The Whites will be looking for their first win of the season and face a stern task in trying to overcome the Lions at home. Scoring points hasn’t been an issue for the side so far so how locked in they are defensively will go a big way to deciding this game.

The Lions average almost 35 points a game this season and the home side likes to use their dominant rolling maul when deep in enemy territory to set up their attack. The Whites maul defence needs to be at the top of their game or else the Lions will look to take full advantage.  

 

Callida Consulting ACT Premier 15s

Uni-Norths Women 15s will be looking to bounce back from their 12-7 loss to Tuggeranong Women when they host Goulburn Women at ANU Field 1 on Saturday. Winger Talei Qalo Wilson looks dangerous whenever she has the ball with space and is one to watch out for in this Uni-Norths side.

Goulburn Women are coming off a dominant 25-0 win over Queanbeyan Women and will be looking to build momentum and stake their claim for a spot at the top of the table. Outside centre Madyson Tooth played a starring role in their last victory and could cause problems for the defence again.

The Royals Women XV will host the Tuggeranong Women at Phillip Oval in the other Premier 15s clash for the weekend. The Royals will have their work cut out for them when they clash with the competition leaders but are fresh from coming off the bye. Royal’s forwards Ellie Brislane and Grace Kemp have provided their side with five of their six tries this season, so expect them to cause havoc on both sides of the ball.

The Tuggeranong Women sit undefeated at the top the table and fullback Mikayla Morris plays a big role in that, the Royals defence should be on high alert whenever she has the ball in good field position.

Queanbeyan Women will enjoy the bye this week and look to come back refreshed for their clash against the royals the week after.

Words: Mathew Williams

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