The Brumbies will start their season with new coaches, a new chief executive, a half-built headquarters at the University of Canberra, Mowen preparing to leave Australia and Pocock making his injury comeback.

It’s a massive overhaul for a team which finished as the Super Rugby runners-up just six months ago.

But Brumbies and Wallabies captain Mowen, who will quit Australian rugby at the end of the year, insists the changes won’t affect title dreams.

‘‘It’s always important to make changes when you are achieving a bit of success so you can continue that,’’ Mowen said.

‘‘If you achieve everything and the program is going down while you’re making changes, you’re being reactive.

‘‘But our point of difference has been we’ve been proactive. We want other teams to have to be chasing us, not the other way around.’’

Mowen shocked Australian rugby with his decision to quit at the end of 2014, despite making his Wallabies debut last year and being elevated to the Test captaincy. The 29-year-old has signed a three-year deal in France.

‘‘I’m content with my decision. We all feel it’s the best for my family. At this stage that’s more important to me than getting to the World Cup.’’

Pocock’s focus has been unwavering in his comeback from a knee reconstruction.

One of the world’s best openside flankers was touted as the biggest recruit in Brumbies history when he moved to Canberra last season.

But he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in just his third game for the Brumbies and he missed the club’s run to the grand final.

Pocock has never contested the Super Rugby play-offs.

Pocock’s injury also forced him to miss the series against the British and Irish Lions and a chance to play with childhood hero George Smith.

Pocock has been regarded as Australia’s No.1 flanker for the majority of his career.

But he admits he faces a challenge from his replacement, Michael Hooper, to win back his Test spot.

Hooper won the John Eales Medal last season as the Wallabies’ best player.

‘‘I’m very excited. When you’re out of the game you realise how lucky you are to be out there and how much you miss it,’’ Pocock said.

‘‘When you’re injured you’re not out there playing alongside your mates.

‘‘Hopefully I can play good enough rugby to warrant [Wallabies] selection, but that’s not on my mind at the moment.

‘‘Going into the next World Cup and having depth [with Hooper and Liam Gill] at No.7, that’s something we didn’t have at the World Cup three years ago and you need that to compete.’’

When former coach Jake White arrived in Canberra, he detailed a four-year plan to lift the Brumbies back to the top of Super Rugby.

He quit after two seasons, but the former World Cup-winning South African coach had always highlighted the third season as the best time for the Brumbies to win the title.

"We’ve developed our game over the past two years and we’re adding bits in,’’ Mowen said.

‘‘We’re going to play an exciting brand of footy, you add the experience, skill and depth ... we’re going to be very dangerous to play against.’’