Instead, it's sitting around a large table with family, friends and more food than most could consume in a week.

It's the Royals' Tongan connection. And as they sit unbeaten at the top of the ladder, the mid-week and post-game feasts are paying dividends.

Royals will attempt to extend their six-game winning streak when they play the Tuggeranong Vikings at Phillip Oval today.

What makes the Royals' forward pack more lethal than any other in the competition is that it speaks a different language - literally.

First-year ACT Brumbies lock Sitaleki Timani, Sokai Tai, Willie Taufoou and Joe Kolokihakaufisi are all Tongan.

''I met the Tongan boys when I first came to Canberra [last December],'' Timani said.

''Sometimes we talk to each other in Tongan on the field just because it's so natural.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times