2016 BUILDCORP NRC: ROUND 3 REVIEW

Sep 12 • General News, International • 1199 Views • Comments Off on 2016 BUILDCORP NRC: ROUND 3 REVIEW

There was plenty to excite spectators in week 3 of the Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, including a 2015 grand final rematch and a thrilling match in a country rugby heartland.

Will Skelton, Luke Morahan and Fijian Olympic hero Vatemo Ravouvou headlined the Western Sydney Rams v Perth Spirit match at Concord, but it was Rams hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa who again starred, scoring his fourth try in three games. Composed defence from the Spirit allowed them to hang on to a 30-24 victory, withstanding the home side’s desperate second-half revival.

The Macquarie University Sydney Rays are within reach of securing a maiden Buildcorp National Rugby Championship semi-finals appearance after they held on to their top-of-the-table berth with a gutsy 30-22 win over Bond University Queensland Country on the rainy Gold Coast. Despite showing promise, Queensland Country remain winless.

In the 2015 grand final rematch, the University of Canberra Vikings recovered from their thumping last weekend to stun last year’s champions McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City 52-20 and claim the Horan-Little Shield at Ballymore. Thirty unanswered points from the Vikings in the second half including three tries in the last 13 minutes secured the Canberra outfit a valuable bonus point.

The in-form NSW Country Eagles had their first regional game in captain Paddy Ryan’s home town of Tamworth, with a spirited crowd cheering on the boys from the bush against Melbourne Rising. The Country Eagles led from the start but a terrific second-half comeback from the Rising saw them fight back in the dying minutes only to fall just short, with the Eagles’ defence proving the difference in their thrilling 32-30 victory.

2016 Buildcorp NRC standings after Round 3:
Macquarie University Sydney Rays 14 points
NSW Country Eagles 13 points
UC Vikings 10 points
Perth Spirit 8 points
Melbourne Rising 6 points
McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City 4 points
Western Sydney Rams 2 points
Bond University Queensland Country 1 point

Western Sydney Rams v Perth Spirit, Saturday 10 September, Concord Oval, Sydney
PERTH SPIRIT 30 (Tries: J. Lance, A. Matuauto, E. Vasukicakau, R. Louwrens; Cons: J. Lance 3/4) def WESTERN SYDNEY RAMS 24 (Tries: S. Toleafoa, B. Paenga-Amosa, J. Payne; Cons: P. Asquith 2/2, M. Walton 1/1)

Bond University Queensland Country v Macquarie University Sydney Rays, Saturday 10 September, Bond University, Gold Coast
SYDNEY RAYS 30 (Tries: R. Woolf 2, N. Palmer, J. Brown; Cons: M. Lucas 3/4) def QUEENSLAND COUNTRY 22 (Tries: I. Perese, M. Third, T. Banks; Cons: M. Third 2/3)

McInnes Wilson Lawyers Brisbane City v UC Vikings, Sunday 11 September, Ballymore, Brisbane
UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA VIKINGS 52 (Tries: R. Abel 2, OJ. Noa, A. Robinson, J. Butler, S. Carter, H. Speight; Cons: I. Thompson 3/4, N. Jooste 1/2, H. Speight 1/1) def BRISBANE CITY 20 (Tries: I. Naisarani, N. Frisby, C. Kuridrani; Cons: J. McIntyre 1/3)

NSW Country Eagles v Melbourne Rising, Sunday 11 September, Magpies Rugby Oval, Tamworth
NSW COUNTRY EAGLES 32 (Tries: T. Latu, S. Figg, N. Hanigan, J. Gordon; Cons: A. Deegan 4/4) def MELBOURNE RISING 30 (Tries: B. Meehan, M. Snowden, T. Silafai-Leaana; Cons: J. Debreczeni 3/4)

Round 4 Fixtures:
1.00pm, Saturday 17 September – NSW Country Eagles v Sydney Rays, Pittwater Park, Sydney, foxsports.com.au or FOX SPORTS NOW
3.00pm, Saturday 17 September – Melbourne Rising v Brisbane City, Harlequins Oval, Melbourne, LIVE on FOX SPORTS 502
1.00pm, Sunday 18 September – UC Vikings v Western Sydney Rams, Viking Park, Canberra, foxsports.com.au or FOX SPORTS NOW
3.00pm (1.00pm WST), Sunday 18 September – Queensland Country v Perth Spirit, UWA Sports Park, LIVE on FOX SPORTS 502

For more information on the Buildcorp NRC, click here.