Brumbies star Henry Speight says his off-season as a volunteer with the Fijian under-18s side has put his career in perspective and inspired him to go on a try-scoring spree when the Super Rugby season begins on Saturday night.

The self-proclaimed ''bro with the fro'' - who temporarily swapped his afro for cornrows this week - turned down the chance to take a relaxing holiday to instead rough it in Sydney to help Fiji's best junior players.

And Speight didn't just give a motivational speech before kick-off.

The softly spoken and humble 25-year-old, who will be eligible to play for the Wallabies in September, dragged a mattress into a room with 14 players, paid for their food and made sure they got a chance to compete against their richer rivals.

Before Speight's arrival, the team was relying on old supplies from supermarkets and day-old bread to fuel their schoolboy title ambitions.

''The first rep team I made was the Fiji schoolboys, it was my stepping stone,'' Speight said.

''When I heard the boys came to Australia with hardly any financial backing, it was tough. I just collected what I could.

''I just wanted to give a bit more … it was very grounding. I loved my time with them, it makes you realise you can never take anything for granted.

''If you gave me the choice between going to Thailand for a week or going to help the guys … I'd choose helping them every time.''

Fijian-born five-eighth Speight has built a cult following in Canberra in his three seasons.

He has scored 19 tries in 46 games, was Australia's highest try-scorer last season and the International Rugby Board has finally cleared him to play for the Wallabies from September.

But instead of worrying about his international career, Speight spent his time doing ''grocery runs'' to get roast chickens, fruit, cereal and bread.

''I'm not much of a nutritionist, but it was close enough to a decent pre-game meal,'' he said.

''I just know I'm blessed to be doing what I love. If you have something good, it's a responsibility to go out of your way and share that with others. I get more fulfilment out of that.''

Fijian schoolboys captain Mesulame Dolokodo is now living with Speight in Canberra and is on a scholarship at the University of Canberra.

''Henry is amazing, he bought us food, gave us good advice … we shared jokes, we became close mates,'' Dolokodo said.

''Henry is massive in Fiji. All the young guys follow him around, all of Fiji loves him.''

Speight will be easy to spot on the field when the Brumbies play the Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium in the Super Rugby season-opener.

He has been growing his afro since last year. It started as a mark of respect for his cousin, who lost his battle with cancer.

Speight spent two hours putting his hair in cornrows during the week, but his afro will be back for the match against the Reds.

At every home game, a group of young Brumbies fans rate Speight's hair and try-scoring swan dives.

''The fro will be back for the game, some people were becoming fans of it and there's a bunch of kids who love the hair and the swan dives,'' he said.

''They always score my dive with points out of 10. I feel refreshed and ready to go. There's another new level of motivation for me; I can't wait to get out there again.''