The Brumbies are locked in negotiations with Jarrad Butler in the hope of keeping the versatile back-rower beyond the end of the Super Rugby season.

Larkham is also in talks to extend his tenure into 2017 and beyond, indicating he wants to stay in Canberra but is asking officials to delay discussions to focus on player contracts.

Pocock was a key piece of the Brumbies' squad puzzle for the coming years and the superstar flanker signed a flexible deal until the end of 2019.

Pocock will step away from rugby next year before returning for the 2018 and 2019 Super Rugby and Wallabies campaigns.

That opens the door for someone to step up and Butler, who is also on Wallabies coach Michael Cheika's radar, looms as the logical candidate.

"I think we've got good depth in the squad at the moment, [working out who will replace Pocock] is certainly something we'll look into over the next period of time but there's no real hurry for us," Larkham said from Cape Town.

"We'll keep our eyes out to see if anyone really stands out from outside the squad that might give us a bit of coverage. But the plan is to fill the vacant position left by Poey with someone in the squad.

"There was no distraction, we spoke about [Pocock's situation] and we knew negotiations were going on the background. We want to make sure our focus is internal and we're not getting too far ahead of ourselves."

The Brumbies will roll out an unchanged 23-man squad for the first time this season when they play the Cape Town Stormers at Newlands on Sunday morning.

Butler gets another chance at No.8 as Ita Vaea continues his recovery from finger surgery in Canberra.

Robbie Coleman is back on the bench after being a late inclusion last week for his first game of the season having overcome a calf problem which delayed his Super Rugby campaign.

Pocock's re-signing news is a huge boost for the squad as it aims to win four games in a row to start the year – and a vote of confidence in the club's future.

Pocock joins Allan Alaalatoa, Scott Sio and Joe Powell in signing deals through to 2019 while Christian Lealiifano has committed until at least the end of 2018.

It is hoped that Butler will follow the re-signing trend but rival clubs have circled him as a recruiting target.

Butler won the club's player of the year award in 2014 when he stepped up to fill the void left by Pocock when he suffered his second season-ending knee injury in two years.

Cheika said of Butler's Wallabies potential: "Other players are going to have a look in for 2017 and there's going to be a jersey floating there.

"There's an opportunity there for another player to pick that up, that's part of what we want to do – build the depth in the team and get more players who can make a difference for Australia.

"[Butler] is definitely one of those. He's an impressive character in the way he plays the game and also how he holds himself off the field.

"It's an ultra-competitive back row at the Brumbies, Butler's only going to get better playing with and training against those guys. Bernie is a pretty creative guy and I'm sure he's thinking about something crafty [to replace Pocock], it just opens a chance for someone to step up.

"Butler played that role when David was injured in 2014 and was the standout player for the Brumbies. I've got no doubt he can do it again."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND FOUR

Sunday: Cape Town Stormers v ACT Brumbies at Newlands, Cape Town, 4.15am. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.

Brumbies team: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Toomua, 11. Joseph Tomane, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 8. Jarrad Butler, 7. David Pocock, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Allan Alaalatoa, 18. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Tom Staniforth, 20. Jordan Smiler, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. Robbie Coleman, 23. Nigel Ah Wong.