Liam Gill reminded the Australian public that its openside flanker stocks remain in rude health after an imperious display helped Brisbane City assume outright leadership of the 2015 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship.
Gill scored what proved to be the decisive try 15 minutes from time but was influential throughout as the defending premiers consigned the University of Canberra Vikings to its first defeat (37-31) of the season in a thrilling encounter in front of over 2,000 fans at Viking Park. The win also saw Brisbane City retain the Horan-Little Shield.
2015 Buildcorp NRC top try scorers after Round 8:
1. Junior Laloifi, Brisbane City, 11 tries
2. Harry Jones, Sydney Stars, 7 tries
2. Jarrad Butler, UC Vikings, 7 tries
2015 Buildcorp NRC top points scorers after Round 8:
1. Jake McIntyre, Brisbane City, 97 points
2. Sam Greene, Queensland Country, 80 points
3. Hamish Angus, North Harbour Rays, 77 points
3. Ian Prior, Perth Spirit, 77 points
2015 Buildcorp NRC standings after Round 8:
1 Brisbane City 33 points, 2 UC Vikings 30 points, 3 Sydney Stars 19 points, 4 Perth Spirit 16 points, 5 Melbourne Rising 16 points, 6 CSU Country Eagles 14 points, 7 North Harbour Rays 11 points, 8 Queensland Country 9 points, 9 Greater Sydney Rams 7 points
Melbourne Rising v CSU NSW Country Eagles at Simonds Stadium, Geelong
Melbourne Rising 23 (J Placid, B Meehan, C Fainga'a 2 tries; B Meehan 1 con) defeated CSU NSW Country Eagles 16 (T Sexton, J McKenzie tries; J Lance 2 cons)
UC Vikings v Brisbane City at Viking Park, Canberra
Brisbane City 37 (P Paraka, J Laloifi, B Hyne, S Kerevi, L Gill tries; J McIntyre 4 cons) defeated UC Vikings 31 (J Butler, R Abel, A Anae, L Lealua-iali-i-Makin tries; C Leali'ifano 2 cons)
North Harbour Rays v Queensland Country at Pittwater Rugby Park, Sydney
North Harbour Rays 50 (J Holmes 2, L Holmes 2, M Adams 2, S Lane tries; H Angus 5 cons) defeated Queensland Country 32 (S Fa'agase, P Potgieter, J Tuttle, C Magnay tries; S Greene 4 cons)
Greater Sydney Rams v Perth Spirit at Concord Oval, Sydney
Perth Spirit 63 (M Konelio, A Nikoro 2, F Apineru 2, B Lacey, R Louwrens 2, K Godwin tries; I Prior 6 cons) defeated Greater Sydney Rams 39 (J Holloway 3, M Gibbon, A Pakalani, W Munro tries; M Teki 2, T Adams 1 cons)
Round 9 Fixtures:
Thursday 15 October, Queensland Country v UC Vikings; Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast; 6.30pm AEST, LIVE on FOX SPORTS 502
Saturday 17 October, Brisbane City v Greater Sydney Rams; Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane; 4:30pm AEDT, foxsports.com.au and FOX SPORTS NOW
Saturday 17 October, CSU NSW Country Eagles v North Harbour Rays; Ann Ashwood Park, Bathurst; 4:00pm AEDT, foxsports.com.au and FOX SPORTS NOW
Sunday 18 October, Melbourne Rising v Sydney Stars; Frankston Oval, Frankston; 3:00pm AEDT, foxsports.com.au and FOX SPORT
