ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham wants Canberra to "fall in love" with his team, adamant his unknown newcomers have the guts and determination to earn respect from fans and opponents.
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The Brumbies play their first home game of the season when they clash against the Durban Sharks at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
Wallabies prop Scott Sio has been ruled out for at least one more week as he battles a hamstring injury, but Larkham has put faith in the same game-day 23-man squad that lost to the Canterbury Crusaders last weekend.
The Brumbies haven't played in Canberra since a heartbreaking finals exit seven months ago when just 8559 fans braved horrific conditions.
The Brumbies have been transformed since then, replacing some of Australian rugby's biggest names, including David Pocock and Stephen Moore, with untested recruits.
Larkham pointed to a defiant 17-13 loss to the Crusaders as proof the new-look Brumbies are up for the challenge, and urged the capital's rugby community to jump on board for the ride.
"We were pretty proud of the guys [last week] with the way they played the game and played the whole game out," Larkham said.
"It's something we probably haven't seen in this team for a while and I'm sure that if people turn up on Saturday and see that same attitude, they'll fall in love with this team as well."
The Brumbies have just seven home games this year in a rotating Super Rugby draw, making it even more important to secure a win against the Sharks.
The Brumbies lost three home games last year, but all defeats were against New Zealand opponents.
The Sharks have won just twice in Canberra since the start of Super Rugby in 1996, but the Durban-based side will be desperate for victory after falling short against the Queensland Reds last weekend.
Larkham was tempted to tinker with his line-up, but said the players who started the season deserved another chance against the Sharks.
"We looked at the game from last week and we thought the energy and attitude was spot on, it was probably just a bit of cohesion that cost us points in the game," Larkham said.
"We certainly appreciated the effort so we gave these guys another chance to find combinations.
"We wanted to reward them with another opportunity to find that cohesion but looking down the track we'll look at getting good rotation in the squad."
Sio missed all of the Brumbies' pre-season games after injuring his hamstring at training.
It is hoped he will be fit to play in the round-three game against the Western Force next week, but Larkham backed New Zealand-born prop Nic Mayhew to build an impressive start to his Brumbies career.
Flyhalf Wharenui Hawera will be playing his first game in Canberra after making his Super Rugby debut last weekend while Tuggeranong Vikings playmaker Isaac Thompson has retained his spot on the bench.
"There were a few tactical fixes we made from the weekend in terms of how we kicked and when we kicked ... but defensively I thought we were outstanding," Larkham said.
"I think the combination is there for most of the guys, but there's a little bit of strategy we have to refine."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND TWO
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Durban Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 1. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Brumbies team: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. James Dargaville, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 9. Joe Powell, 8. Jordan Smiler, 7. Chris Alcock, 6. Scott Fardy. 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Ben Alexander, 18. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Tom Staniforth, 20. Lolo Fakaosilea, 21. De Wet Roos, 22. Andrew Smith, 23. Isaac Thompson.
