The Canberra Vikings plan to blunt Fijian flair with brutal defence when they fight to stay in the National Rugby Championship finals hunt on Saturday.
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The fourth-placed Vikings are clinging to their play-off spot with three games left in the regular season, making their clash against the Fijian Drua a make or break contest this weekend.
The Drua ignited the NRC last weekend, scoring at almost a point per minute in a 76-29 thumping of Sydney.
Defence appears to be optional at times in the NRC, which has been designed to promote attacking rugby rather than a set-piece dominated contest.
Three teams scored 45 points or more last weekend and the writing is on the wall for the Vikings, who have the third-worst defensive record so far this season.
Lock Blake Enever said the best way to slow down the Fijians was to muscle up in defence and take away their time and space.
"We learnt a lot from our two games against Fiji last year, we just have to execute better and rock up with a physical defensive mind set to stop them getting over the line," Enever said.
"Once they get on the front foot they bring in offloads and they're quite dangers. So we have to stop them at contact and make sure we dominate in one-on-one contests.
"We need to start strong and make sure they don't get a few tries ahead because if they do, they're hard to claw back."
The Vikings have won two of four games this season and are licking their wounds after a 17-point loss to the ladder-leading Western Force last weekend.
The short seven-game season means the Vikings cannot afford to lose to Fiji, who are fifth on the ladder and equal with Canberra on nine points.
The Drua have won just one of four games, bursting to life in an 11-try demolition against Sydney.
The Vikings haven't won back to back games so far this season, but the lure of Super Rugby game time for 2020 has added extra incentive for the players this season.
Enever is the most experienced lock on the ACT Brumbies roster after the departure of Sam Carter and Rory Arnold at the end of last season.
The two-Test Wallaby is using the NRC campaign as a chance to impress Brumbies coaches to boost his chances of earning a starting spot next year.
"You want to put your hand up, but it hasn't really changed from previous years. In the past, I have always thought about ripping into the NRC," Enever said.
"Hopefully there is that prize [of Super Rugby game time] at the end of the tunnel this year. NRC is another step on the road where you can put your hand up for round one."
Andy Muirhead will miss the rest of the NRC campaign. The try-scoring winger was expected to be rested for the coming weeks, but injury has forced the Vikings hand after he damaged his knee last week.
The Vikings will still boast Wallabies in Enever, Joe Powell, Tom Banks, Pete Samu and Rob Valetini. Valetini made his Wallabies debut earlier this month.
"It meant the world. One of my dreams was to make my Wallabies debut and to do it this early in my career was amazing. I just want to get better for next year," Valetini said.
NRC ROUND FIVE
Saturday: Canberra Vikings v Fijian Drua at Viking Park, 12pm.