BILL YOUNG: He definitely can this year. Injuries are a setback and they put doubt in your head. But, watching Pocock, he's the type of character who will do everything in his power to get right. I think he's still the best flanker in Australia. He'll reclaim the rightful No.7 jersey.

PHIL KEARNS: He's a terrific player, a world-class player and the great thing, from the Wallabies' point of view, now is they have a couple of world-class openside flankers ready to go. David Pocock is clearly one but he's got to recover from the injury appropriately, which I'm sure he will. He's a really hard worker, and dedicated professional guy, but there's another one in Michael Hooper around as well. While everyone's thrilled to have him back, he's got some work to do. He's definitely not Australia's best flanker at the moment, because he's had [three games] back from injury and nine, 10 months off, so you can't possibly say that he's Australia's best flanker. We'll see how that evolves around about the time the Test series starts in June. We'll know whether he is or not.

OWEN FINEGAN: I would think so. He's been out 11 months from the rugby he's played already. He dominated and was a standout among all the back-rowers. He's one of those class players, a World XV player and he's had plenty of time to prepare his body. You always come back from a break more excited and ready to play. It's competitive there. One of the ex-Brumbies, Michael Hooper, deputised very well. He was one of the standouts for the Wallabies and had a good Super Rugby season. He'll have to be at the top of his game to regain his Wallaby jersey.

BD: Some blokes are coaches when they're players. That's just the way they are and it's a gut feel. Stephen is that sort of person. I actually think this coaching model is a step forward for the Brumbies. A lot of coaches lack the confidence to [be] insistent on exactly what they want. They don't demand what they want. Both Stephen and Laurie have the knowledge, the confidence and the personalities to insist on those things. They were two of the major parts of the Brumbies' success last season. They know what they're talking about, they're good on the detail. They will get that performance out of the players.

BY: I've never questioned anyone in life about their age. It's a number, you're ready when the powers that be say you're ready. Stephen has shown enough to say he is ready. He will be a brilliant coach and a quiet achiever. I'm sure he will learn but he's the guy you want in charge. I played with Stephen and was coached by Laurie. I think they've got the roles right to win a title.

PK: Probably. I'm always a fan of a slightly older coach. People are better man managers the older they become and coaching's a man-management position. And I think Ewen Mckenzie showed that when he originally knocked back the Wallaby coaching job. But Stephen is a very, very mature guy and he's a great thinker and a great tactician and strategist, so maybe he is [ready]. He's got an experienced head around him in Laurie Fisher and I think that will help him. It wouldn't surprise me if he does a really good job.

OF: Yeah, I'd say so. The best coaches I had were good man managers and knew how to deal with players. Stephen's been on the other side of the fence and he knows what the players want to hear. They want to hear the truth and want to be kept in the loop with what's going on. He's got a fantastic rugby brain. Laurie's the more conservative of the two, with a focus on set-piece … Stephen's got a style of game he played for a long time that was successful. It gives you a good combination of both [structure and creativity].

BD: Good coaches leave a legacy behind that endures for some time but not forever. Jake has left a legacy but Stephen and Laurie were part of that. They'll continue the important parts of that. I think the Brumbies will move without missing a beat to be honest.

BY: I wasn't involved with Jake but he looked like a structured coach. He made his mark at the Brumbies and put the structures in place. The Brumbies will embrace that and add to it. His legacy will continue with Laurie and Steve.

PK: If you look at the performance of the Australian rugby team and the Australian cricket team over the last little while, you'd probably say not. Mickey Arthur is absolutely passionate about cricket - but was he passionate about Australian cricket? Not sure. Those little things do mean something … The best technical coach or best-performed coach might not be the best one for a certain team if they don't quite understand the culture.

OF: Jake White's done a fantastic job in leading the team for the first couple of years, set the foundations there, but I see advantages of him moving on. It's a predominantly conservative style of rugby that the Brumbies have played the last couple of years, which has been successful and can get the team to a final. Through the years, that sort of football will get you so far but - when you get to finals - you need to be a bit more inventive and adventurous. They won't miss him now but - if he hadn't been here the last few years - they could possibly be in the same position they were for the last nine or 10 years.

BD: I can't see it affecting the Brumbies terribly much. He had a fantastic season last year, most of us thought that he was a really good player and a good leader, but is he good enough to maintain his Wallabies position if everyone is back? Mowen has managed to prove everyone wrong every time he plays. He's a significant contributor to the performance and I think the Brumbies and Australian rugby will miss him. He's a standout captain by a country mile. But his decision to quit won't affect the Super Rugby season.

BY: It will have an influence. But I get the feeling he's well respected around the organisation. Guys give off a certain aura and Ben gives an aura of seniority that you need. He's a level guy and, of course, the Brumbies will miss that. But this is the year they want it.

PK: It shouldn't affect them at all and, if they use it correctly, it can be a benefit for them. I'm sure Ben's a highly respected character and has brought the Brumbies back from nowhere to somewhere over the last couple of years and Ben's been a leader there. And he's also led the Wallabies and quite successfully. He's got a high level of respect down in Canberra and I'm sure they'd like to see him out on a high.

OF: The good thing is it's out so early. If that sort of news comes out halfway through the season, it has the opportunity to derail things a bit more, but he's made the decision early and everyone knows about it. It's not a secret. It's out in the open and it's just a matter of getting on with it now. They're not thinking Ben Mowen's going at the end of the year, they're worrying about righting the wrong that happened last year of getting beaten in the final.

BD: Their strength is the execution of fundamentals of the game. They're better than any of the Australian teams at it. And, when you've got top-quality speed, being technically correct allows other aspects to shine through. They've assembled a great squad - everyone in the team is a great player. The Brumbies don't have many weaknesses. It was disappointing Jesse Mogg didn't produce at Test level like he has at Super Rugby.

PK: When the Brumbies play a disciplined style, they always do well. When all the players execute the game plan, it goes very, very well and it's hard for teams to combat them. On the converse side to that, they become a little bit predictable and that's probably the weakness.

OF: Their set-piece is very competitive, they won some games off the back of their scrum … and it was a largely field position-oriented game plan and they didn't stray from that very often and that's one of their weaknesses - predictability. With Stephen Larkham and that same game style of last year with a bit more adventure off the back of some of their set-piece attacks could be a benefit.

BD: They're definitely a contender. The Brumbies and the Reds have clearly improved over the last couple of years and the Waratahs are on the rise. Whether the Waratahs will get there is for the future to decide. At the Brumbies, you can't have that many good individuals to not be a good side. I don't know which one is the best.

BY: I certainly think the Waratahs will be strong this year and I have been impressed. The Rebels are building but I think the Reds might be in for a tough year.

PK: You can only go on what they did last season, and they were. At the moment yeah but I know there's a couple of other provinces that will be out to disprove that and I do think a couple of the provinces look better this year than they did last year. The Waratahs look better, the Reds have less players injured and the Rebels look like they've done some interesting things over the off-season. But, at the moment, the Brumbies are No.1.

OF: They've got a good mix but it's hard to say they're the best team at this time of year. I haven't really seen too much of the other teams but, going on form, they were definitely the most consistent team last year.

BD: Nic White. How he plays is very important for how the Brumbies go. At his best, he's a very, very good player. But, on the odd occasion, he seems to lose focus on his role. I like that he understands his role, but [he] can get distracted and he needs to get on top of that. Christian Lealiifano is vital as well, especially because of his goal kicking.

BY: Your most important player is your tighthead prop, so Ben Alexander. The set-piece is the important part - you need stability or things don't work out.

PK: I think the most important player is not a player, it's Steve Larkham. But, to pick an on-field player, no one wins a Super Rugby title without a good five-eight. So, if you've got [Matt] Toomua and Lealiifano firing, they're going to go all right.

OF: Christian Lealiifano, getting him fit and back ready to play. Played an important part last year, his guidance around the field, his defence.

BD: Tevita Kuridrani. I know he made his Wallabies debut last year but I'm very keen to see him play inside centre. If we educate him in that position, it could be a huge advantage for Australia.

PK: Scott Sio. He proved that he's got some ability last year but he's got to take it to the next level this year and, if he does, he can be a real powerhouse.

OF: I think it's a fairly established team … a lot of the young blokes had breakout years last year. That's probably a good thing, going into this season - you're not relying on a young bloke having a wonderful season and lead the team around.

BD: I don't think so. One of the key things is how healthy their key players stay during the year. But I'm not prepared to say where they'll finish, they're a very good team.

BY: The Brumbies can always finish first. This year, I think they've done the yards, they've got a reasonable roster. I'm a believer, it comes down to how much the guys want it. The structure is there, the playing roster is there, it comes down to luck. They're young and they definitely haven't hit their peak.

PK: They're going to be top end of the ladder. The big question mark is how the transition from Jake to Steve goes. If there was a massive let down after last year and losing that title, how will it affect them mentally? Will it lift them to better things this year? Or does it deflate them a little bit? That comes down to the coaching staff and how they motivate them and drive the team. But I'd be surprised if they're not finals contenders.

OF: The top three will do. Early in the season it's about winning the Australian conference and keeping in front of the other [Aussie] teams. Historically, it's been a three-horse race with the Waratahs, the Reds and the Brumbies. I don't see it being any different. They're way off having the experience we had in 2001 and 2004 - blokes who have been in finals of World Cup. We've got a young squad and most of them will be around for 2015 - after the World Cup, then you'd be saying they've hit their peak - so they're on the way up. They've got so much room for improvement it's not funny.