Brumbies reveal coaching shake up and brace for trial-match war

McKellar has picked a near full-strength side for the last trial of the pre-season, with the bulk of his stars to play against the NSW Waratahs at Goulburn on Saturday night.

But there is also intrigue about the coaching roles after the Brumbies launched their season at the Rex Hotel on Wednesday morning and Laurie Fisher detailed his new job description.

Fisher, a veteran of 20 professional rugby seasons as a coach and regarded as a forwards expert, will be in charge of the defence this year after Peter Ryan's departure while McKellar will take on some of the forwards work.

Former NSW flyer Peter Hewat will look after the backs again and Ruaidhri Murphy and Dan Palmer will provide set-piece expertise.

The Brumbies are determined to play the same brand of attacking rugby that saw them finish on a high last season, but McKellar is yet to settle on his best XV for round one next week.

"Some guys will play more minutes than others with an eye to round one," McKellar said of the Goulburn trial.

"I've got some tough decisions to make over the next week ... it's going to be hard but we've got a squad that's going to challenge each other.

"Ideally, we'll be in a position when players get an opportunity when it's earnt. The reality is that there will be 18 or 19 players disappointed to miss out in round one, so you've got to give them the feedback they need so they're ready when their chance comes."

David Pocock, Allan Alaalatoa and Scott Sio will miss the trial clash against the Wallabies as part of an Australian rugby collaborative approach to resting key Test players.

The Waratahs will also be without some of their biggest stars, including Michael Hooper, Israel Folau, Kurtley Beale and Bernard Foley.

The plan is to mirror the centralised systems set up in New Zealand and Ireland to get the best out of Wallabies players over a 12-month season in the hope of avoiding burnout in a World Cup year.

Brumbies skipper Lealiifano said the team would embrace the rotation policy and urged players to use the occasional absence of stars to their advantage.

"The beauty of the Wallabies situation is that it's going to create opportunities for other guys that I feel have had an amazing pre-season," Lealiifano said.

"They've put their hands up and competing well. The [resting of Wallabies] is just something we've got to deal with, we've got to manage it. It's a World Cup year and there are big workloads.

"I'm excited about the other opportunities. Obviously you want your stars and best players contributing to the season, but as we've mentioned, it's going to take our whole squad. I'm quite comfortable with it. Whoever we put in a Brumbies jersey will put their best foot forward."

The Brumbies and Waratahs had agreed to play three 30-minute thirds in the trial match, but there was confusion on Wednesday about whether SANZAAR would sanction the match.

Either way, James Slipper can take another step towards Super Rugby redemption when he starts at loosehead prop against the Waratahs and he could start against the Rebels given Sio's lack of game time.

Pocock's absence in the trial gives Tom Cusack, Lachlan McCaffrey and Rob Valetini a chance to launch their selection bids, while Pete Samu will make his Brumbies debut from the bench.

BRUMBIES PRE-SEASON

Thursday: Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Goulburn, 6.30pm. Entry is free for Brumbies and Waratahs members.

Brumbies: 1. James Slipper, 2. Folau Fainga’a, 3. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Sam Carter, 6. Robbie Valetini, 7. Tom Cusack, 8. Lachlan McCaffrey, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Lausii Taliauli, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Toni Pulu, 15. Tom Banks. Reserves: 16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Tom Ross, 18. Vunipola Fifita, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Jahrome Brown, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Wharenui Hawera, 23. Chance Peni, 5. Darcy Swain, 6. Murray Douglas, 8. Pete Samu, 11. Andy Muirhead, 12. Tom Wright, 13. Len Ikitau, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Jordan Jackson-Hope, 18. Bayley Kuenzle.

Waratahs: 1. Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2. Andrew Tuala, 3. Shambeckler Vui, 4. Jed Holloway, 5. Ryan McCauley, 6. Lachlan Swinton, 7. Will Miller (c), 8. Jack Dempsey, 9. Mitch Short, 10. Mack Mason, 11. Cameron Clark, 12. Karmichael Hunt, 13. Lalakai Foketi. 14. Curtis Rona, 15. Alex Newsome. Reserves: 16. JP Sauni, 17. Rory O’Connor, 18. Chris Talakai, 19. Le Roux Roets, 20. Ned Hanigan, 21. Pat Tafa, 22. Jake Gordon, 23. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 24. Will Harrison, 25. Richard Woolf, 26. Will Harris, 27. Cody Walker, 28. Hugh Sinclair, 29. Ben Donaldson.