Fear the unknown Brumbies. That's the message from Australia's Super Rugby coaches, who admit they are wary of a new-look ACT roster despite the club losing some of the biggest names in the game.
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The Brumbies will blend untested talent with Wallabies experience when they begin their season against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday night.
But how will they cope with the loss of more than 500 Super Rugby games of experience and can they maintain their Australian conference dominance to secure a fifth consecutive finals berth.
We asked the coaches of Australia's five franchises to dissect the Brumbies chances and the major issues in Super Rugby this year.
ALL STARS TO UNDERDOGS
Most people have never heard of Wharenui Hawera. Joe Powell can walk around Canberra relatively unnoticed and teenager Robert Valetini can't even drive himself to training.
But the trio represent a group of Brumbies who can go from "nobodies" to influential Super Rugby players as the Canberra club throws untested talent into the competition.
They have the task of stepping up to replace some of the biggest names in Australian rugby, including Stephen Moore, David Pocock, Matt Toomua and Christian Lealiifano.
The Brumbies boasted an all-star roster this year but they've gone from a title favourite to an unknown force.
"But that probably makes you a bit more nervous about them to be honest," said Queensland Reds coach Nick Stiles.
"You know what you're going to get, they'll be physical and relentless at the breakdown. So matter what personnel you've got, they'll be competitive."
The Brumbies still have 12 players with Wallabies experience, but Melbourne Rebels coach Tony McGahan concedes losing core leaders will have an impact.
"Losing guys like that is major for stuff on the field, but also just around training," McGahan said.
"There are young players coming through and it's your senior guys that show them this is the way we do things.
"It will be a missing part for sure. But the Brumbies do exceptionally well having guys go through as nobodies and them come out the other side. That's a strong part of the club and it's the nature of Super Rugby."
LIFE AFTER POCOCK
It's almost impossible to replace one of the best players in the world, but the Brumbies have to find a way to fill Pocock's No. 7 jersey this year.
Pocock has stepped away from Australian rugby duties to refresh and spend time in Africa doing conservation work.
His absence leaves a sizeable hole in the Brumbies starting XV, with Jarrad Butler, Chris Alcock, Tom Cusack and Jordan Smiler attempting to step up.
"I've got big raps on Jarrad Butler and massive raps on Chris Alcock," Stiles said.
"I coached Chris in Perth and he's a great footballer, he'll do very well down in Canberra. David Pocock is David Pocock, you can't replace him.
"But when you've got quality options like Jarrad Butler and Chris Alcock, you're not going to miss too much."
Pocock will return to Canberra at the start of the 2018 and has signed a deal to stay with the Brumbies until at least the end of the 2019 World Cup.
CAN ANYONE CATCH THE BRUMBIES?
The Brumbies have played Super Rugby finals in the past five seasons and won all eight of their Australian derbies last year.
Rivals will sniff blood given the turnover of high-calibre players as they chase Australia's guaranteed play-off spot.
But can the Dave Wessels-coached Western Force or McGahan's Rebels break through for their first finals appearances?
"There will be some surprises for us," former Brumbies assistant Wessels said.
"Sometimes the Force have been guilty of playing to lose in the past, but this year as a group it's about playing to win.
"Every now and then we'll get bumped on our arse and we understand that. But what we want to do is have people proud of us and aiming to win."
The NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds loom as the biggest threat for the Australian conference title.
The Waratahs have some of the biggest names in the game while the Reds are rebuilding under Stiles, including recruiting Moore, George Smith, Quade Cooper and Scott Higginbotham.
"We've gone through a huge transition period ourselves, both in 2015 and 2016. I think we're finally past that and our squad will be stable," said NSW coach Daryl Gibson.
"It's really positive for the future, but for this season it's a bit unknown. You're sitting back and waiting for your babies grow up."
Stiles added: "We'll play a simpler game plan, but that will actually provide more freedom. Last year they were just bogged down in detail."
CONFUSING SUPER RUGBY
The most disappointing part of Super Rugby is the diminishing number of Australian derbies.
The Brumbies will play their biggest rivals, the Waratahs, just once this year. That game will be played in Sydney and not hosting the Waratahs in Canberra will force the Brumbies to take a financial hit.
The Brumbies will also play the Force just once while the Waratahs play once against the Brumbies and Reds.
"It's a real shame. My view is that we've eroded the derbies. To not go down to Canberra and play a game there hurts both the Brumbies and the Waratahs," Gibson said.
"We want to make sure that's one of our biggest rivalries, along with the other [Australian] Super Rugby teams. We're probably hurting ourselves there.
"You need a hero and a villain and it's important that's fostered. It can't be fostered if you only play once."
THE BRUMBIES' BIGGEST CHALLENGE
The Brumbies have new faces in arguably the most important positions in their team. They've got a new captain, new playmaker, new scrumhalf and new openside flanker.
But the challenge they face has more to do with who they are playing against rather than Super Rugby rookies.
The Brumbies won just one of their six games against New Zealand teams last year, including a heartbreaking finals loss at Canberra Stadium.
It wasn't just the Brumbies who felt the pain. New Zealand teams won 22 of 26 games against Australian Super Rugby teams last year.
The Brumbies were on the wrong end of a lopsided 165-71 for and against record against trans-Tasman rivals and Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham says that must change.
"Travel is a challenge of Super Rugby, but the home and away record against New Zealand teams has to change. There are no excuses," Larkham said.
"It's about internally finding the best practice for those trips to New Zealand and we have to look at the game plan.
"You've got to make sure you combat what they're going to throw at you. There's no hiding from the fact that we need to turn that around this year if we want to achieve our goals."
