Round 1 of the 2018 NRC kicked off with some wonderful rugby played across the three games. The Drua made a statement of their intentions in front of a vocal home crowd against the Rising. QLD Country and the Canberra Vikings served up another cracker in the capital with the visitors claiming the glory come full time. While the Western Force stole the show with a strong display over Brisbane City.
While we still officially have one more game of the round to go (when Sydney Rays take on NSW Country in a couple of weeks’ time), we’ve come up with our Team of the Week.
15 Jaye Thompson (Brisbane City)
Perhaps the least known player in the Brisbane team, but he stole the show with his play from the back. He scored one sharp try himself and was generally dangerous whenever he had the ball in hand.
14 Rod Davies (Western Force)
Rocket Rod enjoyed his return to Brisbane to play rugby and would have loved getting one over his old mate Quade. Davies scored two tries with minimal of fuss, but showed his famous pace and elusiveness when the opportunity arose.
13 Jordan Petaia (QLD Country)
There wasn’t a lot going on in the 13 jersey this NRC round which made it quite tough to pick an absolute stand out. In the end I’ve gone with Petaia for producing more moments of the game including a couple of massive hits.
12 Duncan Paia’aua (QLD Country)
The QLD Country skipper continued on from his 2017 NRC form with a performance that show-cased his marshalling abilities as well as his moments of brilliance. His kick pass to Jock Campbell for his first was delicious. Jordon Jackson-Hope played well but probably more so when moved to 10.
11 Andy Muirhead (Canberra Vikings)
His battle with Jock Campbell was pretty fantastic, and whole the Queenslander scored two tries I though Muirhead finished on top. He shows fantastic balance as he runs light on his feet at good pace, which proves a difficult combination for opponents to handle.
10 Alivereti Veitokani (Fiji Drua)
The pocket dynamo was everywhere for the Drua on the weekend as they blew the Rising away. He crossed the line once himself but was a handful across the park threatening the line at almost will and running for plenty of metres all match. Pushed hard by Andrew Deegan and Hamish Stewart but the numbers just were too good to ignore.
9 Ian Prior (Western Force)
The little general was superb for the visitors in their emphatic win over Brisbane on Sunday afternoon. While his goal kicking was on song, it was his tireless game in all other aspects that was so important to his team’s win. Conducting his forwards and freeing up his backs. Frank Lomani was also excellent for the Drua.
8 Caleb Timu (QLD Country)
The NRC Player of the Year last year showed his value to this Country outfit with an archetypal barnstormer against the Vikings. He was an absolute handful for the Canberrians making numerous breaks and soring one try. His opposite number Ben Hyne worked his backside off in a very good performance too.
7 Moses Voka (Fiji Drua)
The Fijian captain impressed with his all-round performances in the Drua’s inaugural NRC last year. He was at it again against the Rising working hard in defence and linking wonderfully with his backline.
6 Angus Scott-Young (QLD Country)
The tyro backrow toiled tirelessly and somewhat unseen in a star studded outfit. The intent he brings to his play is evident when watched closely and he produced a standard hard working effort on Saturday evening.
5 Jeremy Thrush (Western Force)
The former All Black made his NRC debut in suburban Brisbane on Sunday and his experience was obvious to all watching the game. He lead the pack in a ding dong battle of the forwards and muscled his way through for a try as a reward for an impressive work ethic through the match. Big Rory Arnold also put in a solid showing for the Vikings.
4 Matt Philip (Melbourne Rising)
Many astute rugby punters have been curious about Philip’s absence from the Wallaby squad this year. Despite appearing in a well beaten side in Fiji, Philip worked relentlessly to give his team the best chance of staying in the game with numerous runs into the teeth of the Drua defence.
3 James Slipper (QLD Country)
Made a remarkable return to top level rugby on Saturday in Canberra. While he wore the number one jersey, he was played tight head (a position he seemingly hasn’t played for a number of years) and did so superbly. The scrum held fine but it was his impactful work ball in hand and in defence that proved so significant and had a big say in the match outcome.
2 Folau Fainga’a (Canberra Vikings)
Normally when you see Canberra hookers scoring multiple tries you can assume they all came from the back of a rolling maul. It wasn’t completely the case for Fainga’a. His hat trick showed a range of skills and a strong running game. From a Wallaby perspective his throws were a little uncertain at times, but his general play is strong. Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Alex Casey also had strong games.
1 JP Smith (Brisbane City)
JP anchored a strong Brisbane scrum that dominated the Force early on. As we’ve seen for the Reds and his club side GPS, his attack game is pretty damn handy as well. Both he and his brother are arguably the best scrummaging props in Australia at the moment. If their eligibility could be worked out they’d surely be welcome additions to the Wallaby team.
