The Tuggeranong Vikings withstood a late surge from the Canberra Royals to record their sixth straight win in the John I Dent Cup.
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Comfortably leading by 21 points early in the second half, the Vikings conceded back to back tries before No.8 Tim Cree crossed in the 76th minute to seal a 31-15 bonus-point victory at Phillip Oval on Saturday.
The Vikings have a six-point buffer on the second-placed Queanbeyan Whites in the competition standings, but importantly have guaranteed themselves a spot in the top two.
"We spoke at the start of the six-week block about winning six games and locking in a top two spot," Vikings coach Brad Harris said.
"We've achieved that and we've got a bye next week.
"We've got a big run home, we play Royals and Queanbeyan again in the next block of four games, which will certainly test us, but that's the preperation we want leading into the finals."
Harris was pleased with how his side closed out the game, but admitted it came only after the Vikings took their foot off the gas.
"If we could have got another try when we kicked away we could have put the game to bed," Harris said.
"We left the window open a little bit and they got a try and doubled that up and made it an interesting last 10 or 15 minutes.
"We showed good composure in the last 10 or 15 minutes, which was good to see."
The Royals remain fourth on the table after their second loss in their past five games.
"That was by far and away our best start to any game," Royals coach Wayne Southwell said.
"It was probably just that patch midway in each half that we will focus on next week against Gungahlin.
"If we can carry that through, those are things we can learn going into the finals."
After a torrid opening to the game, the Vikings crossed for two tries in quick succession to take a 10-3 lead at half-time.
They extended the gap to 21 points when wingers Jerome Niumata and Jake Knight
Royals hooker Siliva Siliva scored off a Vikings mistake from a lineout before the hosts were in again to cut the deficit to nine points.
But Cree's strong charge with four minutes on the clock sealed the victory for the Vikings.
The Queanbeyan Whites stayed second on the ladder, holding out Uni-Norths Owls 22-20 at ANU North Oval, while Wests hammered the hapless Easts 72-7 at Griffith Oval.
JOHN I DENT CUP
Saturday: Queanbeyan Whites 22 bt Uni-Norths Owls 20 at ANU North Oval. Wests 72 bt Easts 7 at Griffith Oval. Tuggeranong Vikings 31 bt Canberra Royals 15 at Phillip Oval.
