Tom Banks and Toni Pulu double rejuvenates Canberra Vikings' finals charge

Canberra claimed a crucial bonus point in their emphatic 41-28 victory over Fijian Drua at Viking Park on Saturday.

Coach Nick Scrivener made eight changes to the side who fell to the Western Force in a bid to combat the physical Fijians.

The return of Pulu and Tom Wright proved crucial as the pair set the standard and kicked the Vikings off to a ten-point lead.

Scrivener's men were under the pump early in the game but momentum killer Pete Samu drew a penalty and gave the Vikings their first opportunity.

Wright capitalised on the hosts' relentless, attacking pressure and pushed through the Fijian defence to score in the seventh minute.

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The Vikings continued to play physical, patient football until Pulu charged straight through a gap and scored on the right-hand side.

Fiji responded with Johnny Dyer and Epeli Radaniva tries but Pulu and Banks took back control with tries on opposite wings.

"It's good to be back. We needed a performance like this," Banks said.

"We haven't been happy for awhile and it was really good to bounce back against a really tough Drua team."

The Vikings headed into the second-half with an eight point lead but Eremasi Radrodro's 45^th minute try and Enele Malele's conversion narrowed the margin down to one.

The secondhalf continued to see-saw until Ryan Lonergan and Banks crossed over the line, but a try to Mack Hansen in the 75^th minute proved crucial in their semi-finals charge.

The 21-year-old replaced Pulu with seven minutes remaining and flew down the field with fresh legs to close down the match.

"Talk about impact from the bench, that's what you want," Scrivener said.

"It was a one-on-one there and he just used his pace. It gave us the bonus point, so I was very happy."

The effort meant the Vikings finished the match with a three try lead, handing them a bonus point with two rounds remaining in the regular season.

"We wanted to get a bonus point so we could stay in the hunt for a home semi-final," Hansen said.

"We weren't going to let up and had to score as many points as possible. I was pretty lucky there but I think [Fiji] were just a bit tired whereas I was fresh and ready to go."

AT A GLANCE

NRC round five: Canberra Vikings 41 (Wright, R Lonergan, Hansen, Pulu 2, Banks 2 tries; R Lonergan 2, Kuenzle, conversions) bt Fijian Drua 28 (Dyer, Radaniva, Radrodro, Narequva tries; Malele 3, Dyer conversions)