John I Dent Cup: Noah Lolesio displays Wallabies credentials in Tuggeranong Vikings' loss to Canberra Royals

A Wallabies and ACT Brumbies playmaker, club rugby could be considered a low-stakes environment.

That was not how Lolesio approached Saturday's top-of-the-table clash between Tuggeranong Vikings and Canberra Royals.

Instead, the flyhalf was full of nerves, determined to lead his team to a minor premiership and prove he deserves to return to the Wallabies side.

As expected, Lolesio came under plenty of attention, Royals ensuring he was a marked man when he touched the ball.

Despite the pressure, the 22-year-old's class stood out throughout the affair. The flyhalf was superb in a losing effort, playing a role in all three Vikings tries.

Ever the competitor, however, Lolesio was most disappointed with the outcome, Canberra winger Dylan Mclachlan crossing with less than four minutes to play to claim a 25-22 victory.

"It was a tough one out there, it always is when we play the Royals," Lolesio said.

"I'm happy to be back playing for Vikings again, it's where it all started for me. I was a bit nervous heading into the game because I hadn't played in a while.

"I can talk about my performance but we still didn't win. The boys are pretty gutted in the sheds and we'll get around each other."

The match was a hard-fought affair, Vikings building pressure during the first half to take a 14-8 lead into the break.

A composed second-half performance saw Tuggeranong hold a 22-18 advantage with 10 minutes to play and it looked set to close out the contest.

The match turned soon after when Vikings back Travis Pula was sent to the sin bin.

Canberra made the most of the extra man, Mclachlan eventually breaking through in the dying minutes.

The try secured the minor premiership, but the winger said the real competition would start now.

The two teams will reignite their rivalry next weekend in the major semi-final, the winner earning a place in the grand final.

"It feels good to win the minor premiership," Mclachlan said.

"It's a small reward for how hard we've worked. It's been a tough couple of weeks but we're well aware the real competition starts next week. We'll be back here and I'm sure it will be a tough game."

While he enjoyed his time in the red and white jumper, Lolesio will not be back for round two next weekend.

Instead, he will now head into camp with the Wallabies as they prepare for the first Test against South Africa in Adelaide.

With Quade Cooper injured and James O'Connor dropped, Lolesio appears likely to return to the No.10 jumper.

Nipping at his heels is veteran Bernard Foley, coach Dave Rennie showing a penchant for experienced playmakers of late.

That means Lolesio must make the most of his next opportunity, if and when it comes, and he's confident he has the tools to build on a disappointing outing against England last month.

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"It was tough being in Argentina for two weeks and not playing," Lolesio said.

"But it's a team sport and I did my best to support James when he got picked. In discussions with Dave he wants me to be more aggressive and find that sweet spot in regards to playing flat at the line or holding feet, which I'm usually good at.

"In that last game against England I was a bit conservative. That was a one-off game, in my eyes.

"If I get another opportunity, I'll be more aggressive and hopefully the boys can feed off that."

Canberra 25 bt Tuggeranong 22; Uni-Norths 25 bt Wests 17; Queanbeyan 71 bt Penrith 7.

Tuggeranong 15 bt Canberra 0; Uni-Norths 22 bt Wests 19, Penrith 14 bt Queanbeyan 7.

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