The Canberra Royals have become champions once again, lifting the BentSpoke John I Dent Cup trophy after a 34-19 victory over the Tuggeranong Vikings at Viking Park this afternoon.
The Vikings would open the scoring of the match in the eighth minute after a lineout within 22 of the Royals line was converted into points after hooker Samuel Thomas dove over the line in a rolling maul effort from Tuggaranong.
Taking a chance at points early, Royals number nine Pedro Rolando opted for a penalty goal option in the 15th minute of the match to give the Royals their first points of the afternoon.
Undeterred from Royals' first points, the Vikings would find another try in the 20th minute as a shift to the right hand side thanks to a bullet-pass from Tuggeranong 10 Ryan Lonergan found its man, resulting in a points to Shane Wilcox in the right corner.
The 24th minute would be a huge one for the blue baggers however, with a strong rolling maul resulting in a penalty try to the side, and a yellow card to Vikings workhorse Baden Godfrey. Following the newfound points to Royals, the scoreline sat at 12-10 in Vikings favour.
Evening the playing field soon after, Royals loosehead James Bundy also found his way alongside the timekeepers with a yellow card of his own.
Tuggeranong would come off best after being a man down however, scoring the next try with eight minutes left on the clock as Darcy Swain managed to burrow his way under the Royals line defence and score, with Lonergan adding the extras off the boot.
Just three minutes later Royals would get back to a two point deficit as Jarrah McLeod trampled through a one-on-one defensive effort and brought it around to score under the posts. Bringing the score to 19-17 the Vikings would remain up by two heading into the break.
With eight minutes gone in the second half, the Royals would take the lead for the first time in the match after another strong maul paid dividends with Connal McInerney putting his name on the try-scoring effort.
With 10 minutes left in the match, the score would remain 24-19 after both sides were struggling to gain any momentum to benefit them. With the ball travelling up and down the field, both Vikings and Royals had made some close escapes, however the ball mostly remained in between the two 22 lines.
a real turning point in the match with seven minutes remaining, Tuggeranong number eight Justin Sikimeti would have his outing ended early from a yellow card after collecting Royals Andy Muirhead high in a tackle.
Receiving a penalty close to the Tuggeranong posts, Rolando would take a penalty goal and extend the lead to eight points.
McLeod would get the put the nail in the coffin however, with a break down the left sideline leading to a final try to the blue baggers veteran Rolando. Securing a 2024 Royals John I Dent Cup Championship.
Canberra Royals 34 (Tries: Jarrah McLeod, Connal McInerney, Pedro Rolando, Penalty Try; Conversions: Pedro Rolando 3;Penalty Goals: Pedro Rolando 2) defeat Tuggeranong Vikings 19 (Tries: Samuel Thomas, Shane Wilcox, Darcy Swain; Conversions: Ryan Lonergan 2)
