Rising out for revenge as English returns for grudge match
Melbourne Rising appeared to be cruising towards the inaugural National Rugby Championship title after finishing the 2014 regular season undefeated.
Hosting fourth placed Perth, the Rising were odds on to book a spot in the decider, before Perth stunned the minor premiers and sent Melbourne on their end of season trip a week early.
Almost 12 months on, Perth will be playing for their season once again when the two meet on Saturday, but this time Melbourne are looking for revenge.
“I’m sure it’ll be on a few of the boys minds, but first and foremost we need to go out there and focus on what we need to do. If we can put a strong, clinical performance in, the result will come,” Rising star Tom English told Rugby News.
Despite a disjointed start to the 2015 NRC season, the Rising sit third on the ladder with four rounds remaining, with English admitting Melbourne are still to play their best rugby.
“We’ve played some good footy in patches. The last 10 minutes against the R