Darwin Dragons coach hoping to cap off perfect start to season with win over University Pirates

DARWIN Dragons coach Puru Westrupp is expecting a real test for his side when it takes on University Pirates at University Oval in Round 3 of the Darwin A-grade rugby union competition.

Darwin Dragons fly-half Brayden Cunningham with a pass to captain Drew Tobin. Picture: Che Chorley

DARWIN Dragons coach Puru Westrupp is expecting a real test for his side when it takes on University Pirates at University Oval in Round 3 of the Darwin A-grade rugby union competition.

The two-time premiers have enjoyed a stellar start to their 2020-21 season, with back-to-back wins over Casuarina Cougars (25-19) and South Darwin (31-19).

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And it was the all-round strong performance against the Rabbitohs which saw five separate tryscorers, including captain Drew Tobin, that has the Dragons coach particularly optimistic.

“We were really happy with that result against South Darwin with it being one of our best efforts for a long time,” Westrupp told the NT News.

“We had a couple of guys out but our defence was good and our performance was better than we thought it would be.

“These early games are always a bit of a feeler as nobody has their best squad yet.

“We wanted to get some early wins on the board to make it a bit easier later on.”

Pirates will be up for the fight eager to knock off the side that ended their undefeated run last season.

Robbie Butcher will run the show from fly-half, with Ben Parkes and Wise Sekitoga looking strong up front.

There’s also plenty of young talent at Pirates, including winger Stylianos Vrontos, who scored a hat-trick against Casuarina on debut last week.

Dragons will need to man up if they’re to score their third win of the season with their own powerhouses such as Hirini Murfitt, Mickael Beact-Narbey and Brayden Cunningham.

“Pirates have probably set the bar being the most consistent side over the past couple of years,” Westrupp said.

“We expect them to be strong and come out well. They have good depth and a quality forward pack along with Butcher calling the shots from 10.

“We need to play the full 80 minutes and trust our systems that have worked for us so far. We have a solid team right across the park particularly up front and in the midfield.

“At the moment it’s about getting ourselves and our preparation right. This will be a real test for us and regardless of the result we will get a lot out of it.”

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Meanwhile, Palmerston Crocs and Casuarina will face off at Moulden Oval, with both sides in search of their first win of the season.