ACT Rugby hopes the chance to train and play under the noses of Brumbies coaches will lure untapped talent to the capital.

ACT Rugby will host an under-20s trial on November 2, targeting the best junior players from Canberra and interstate and trying to bring them under the umbrella of the Brumbies.

It's a move which will almost certainly ruffle feathers in NSW and Queensland, as the ACT looks to bolster both its local competition and the playing depth at the Brumbies.

The Brumbies want to bridge the gap for schoolboy stars to Super Rugby, offering them a chance to move to the capital to play in the ACT grade competition, right under the noses of Super Rugby coaches.

They also want to keep rising stars away from the clutches of the NRL.

''Some of the guys are looking at league and NRL contracts, we're just giving them a rugby opportunity,'' Brumbies coaching and development manager Russell Ingram said.

''This opens up a new pathway. There's a void there for rugby kids. I reckon we can expose a couple of diamonds out of it.

''I think the Canberra competition is going to be even tougher next year and we can get some good kids out of this.''

ARU and Super Rugby officials met last week to discuss the financial state of the game.

The ARU has a $19 million deficit and its cost cutting could affect the way Super Rugby club academies are set up.

The Brumbies have invited 11 Canberra premier division players to pre-season training and more than 50 junior hopefuls are expected at the under-20s trials.

Wallabies and Brumbies fullback Jesse Mogg was plucked from Canberra's club system two years ago and made his Test debut this year.

Former Brumbies coach Jake White made it a rule that Super Rugby players stay in Canberra and commit to clubs in the John I Dent Cup instead of returning to Sydney and Brisbane.

Whether Laurie Fisher or Stephen Larkham take over from White as Brumbies coach, both will enforce the same rule.

Fisher hopes it will turn Canberra into a genuine recruiting competition in the future.

''You'll get seen if you're playing in the local competition,'' Fisher said.

''The general perception is that Sydney and Brisbane competitions are the be-all and end-all. The challenge for us is to recruit out of the Canberra competition. That's when it will become a genuine pathway.''

The ACT is also aided by a reformatting of the ARU's Australian under-20s selection process. It gives players outside of NSW and Queensland a greater chance of getting noticed.

The ACT, Victoria and Western Australia will play in a combined states tournament in February.

Selectors will then pick a combined team to play against NSW and Queensland in an Australian under-20s trial.

The Brumbies hope the chance to shine for the combined states team will attract the best talent to the capital and any players picked in Canberra's side will have to commit to playing in the John I Dent Cup next year.

■ For more information on the under-20s trial, contact the club on (02) 6260 8588.