The Vikings overcame a two-man shortage in the second half to beat the Melbourne Rising 31-21 at Viking Park on Saturday night, parking their trick plays to win against the odds.

It's a shift from how traditional NRC contests go, with most games boasting a highlight reel of spectacular tries and free-flowing attack.

But the Vikings firmly believe their desire to hang in every contest can help them chase their maiden title in the third-tier competition.

The clash against the Rising certainly wasn't pretty. Referee Angus Gardner had a huge bearing on the contest, and rightly awarded a penalty try to each team.

In the end it was Vikings hooker Connal McInerney who went from villain to hero after being sent to the sin bin and then returning to score a second-half double.

McInerney was penalised at a midfield breakdown and Gardner went straight to his pocket for a yellow card when the Vikings rake "spat the dummy".

It got worse for the Vikings lost winger Lausii Taliauli, who was ruled to have intentionally knocked down the ball when the Rising were about to score.

"I might have lost my head for a few seconds, but at the end of the day it was probably the right call [to penalise me]," McInerney said.

"I calmed down a bit on the sideline. You never want to let your team down like that with something stupid. I wanted to do as much as I could to make up for it."

Things looked grim for the Vikings when Taliauli was sin-binned, with the Rising moving to a 21-14 lead. But the 13-man Canberra side held strong until they got their men back and then went to work.

The Vikings snatched momentum when Len Ikitau pounced on a woeful Melbourne error and then McInerney scored two tries from the back of rolling mauls to ice the game.

The win moves the Vikings temporarily into second on the ladder, but they'll face a completely different challenge when they play the high-flying Fijian Drua in Fiji next weekend.

"These guys are brave. They're courageous and tough," said Vikings coach Nick Scrivener.

"It wasn't a traditional point-fest or free-flowing [NRC game], but it was a tough game of footy. And I said to the guys if they could just hang in and were tough ... you'll win more than you lose."

The Vikings' scrum was a problem at times again, with Gardner continually pinging the front row for infringements.

The game was so forwards dominated both back lines were busy trying to stay warm on a chilly night rather than worrying about scoring tries.

Ikitau and Melbourne's Sione Tuipulotu were the only backs to score tries, with the rest coming from tough work close to the line.

"To be 14-all at half-time after being starved of possession, that was a real boost for us. We took a lot of confidence out of that and believed we were able to get across the line if we held the ball," said Vikings captain Ben Hyne.

"Melbourne were right up for it so to get that one, I couldn't be happier."

The Vikings also got a chance to throw teenager Noah Lolesio into the action for his first taste of the NRC, and the playmaker didn't disappoint despite being young enough to play in the under-19s curtain-raiser.

The junior Brumbies started the under-19s national championship in perfect style, beating NSW Country 31-12 in the first game of the revamped development system.

The week-long tournament will resume on Monday when the Brumbies play against Brisbane.

AT A GLANCE

NRC round five: CANBERRA VIKINGS 31 (Connal McInerney 2, penalty try, Len Ikitau, Darcy Swain tries; Wharenui Hawera, Ryan Lonergan conversions) bt MELBOURNE RISING 21 (Anaru Rangi, penalty try, Sione Tuipulotu tries; Archie King 2 conversions) at Viking Park.