Stephen Larkham and Andrew Walker made defenders look like fools in the ACT Brumbies' golden years and the club is going back to the future for a jaw-dropping double comeback.
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Larkham will swap his coaching duties for rugby boots at the Brisbane Global 10s in February when the Wallabies champion takes the unprecedented step of playing alongside the men he coaches every week.
Former NRL and Super Rugby star Walker will join him on the field at Suncorp Stadium more than a decade after they last played together in Canberra.
The retired duo will be the Brumbies' wildcard players at the inaugural 10s tournament which will double as the ACT side's final trial before the Super Rugby season begins.
Larkham is undecided if he'll wear his trademark headgear, but says there's no need for the full-body bandages he was wrapped in by the end of his career a decade ago.
Walker, 43, still plays in Queensland and reckons he can team up with Larkham to find the fire that made them attacking masterminds at the Brumbies.
"It's not going to be a walk in the park, I'm pretty sure someone's going to come and collect me or [Larkham] at some point," Walker grinned.
"But I'm looking forward to the challenge, I'm going to embrace and enjoy playing with the boys. It makes you feel young again, but I don't know if I'll feel young after it.
"It's going to be excited if the both of us get on the field at the same time, I'm pretty sure Bernie and I will start that fire again that we had back in 2000."
The pair will square off against former Wallabies teammate Chris Latham, who has been confirmed as the Queensland Reds wildcard representative.
Walker and Larkham were wizards with the ball in hand and pulled off some magical flick passes and tires in guiding the Brumbies to the 2001 championship.
Walker, a former St George, Roosters and Manly star, had an at-times controversial career but was regarded as one of the most electric players in either code.
"Sometimes [Larkham] shifts some passes in training that some of the boys sit back and say 'he's still got it'," said Brumbies winger Henry Speight.
"Personally I can't wait to play with both of them because as a kid growing up I watched them on TV carving up other teams.
"I just remember [Walker] carving up, socks down with a big jersey but gliding through gaps like he was a ghost."
Larkham, one of the Wallabies' greatest playmakers, retired from Australian rugby in 2007 but continued play in Japan until becoming a Brumbies assistant coach in 2011.
He still trains with his players and occasionally reenacts his famous 1999 World Cup semi-final drop-goal moment.
"I've played a couple of over-35s games in the past 10 years but I had a lot of butterflies when I told [the players] this morning," Larkham said, who plays in Canberra's fourth-grade competition.
"It's a bit of a reality now. I was a bit undecided and wasn't sure if I was ready. I'll have to get into training now.
"You see how much work the players do in preparing for the competition, you see how much pain they go through and you want to share a little bit with them.
"I'm not sure how many minutes I'll get, but I'll enjoy running around with the current crop of players and Walks."
SUPER RUGBY PRE-SEASON
January 28: ACT Brumbies v Australian Barbarians at Viking Park, 5.30pm
February 4: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Mudgee
February 11-12: Brisbane Global 10s at Suncorp Stadium.
