ACT Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa says he will "fight it out" to help Australian rugby rebuild after a disastrous period, declaring his commitment to see out his long-term contract.
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But the 37-Test prop hopes Australian rugby officials make safety the No. 1 priority when they tinker with law changes for the new-look domestic competition next month.
Alaalatoa is back in full contact training after breaking his arm in the last game before the Super Rugby shutdown in March.
The coronavirus hiatus gave him the luxury of completing his two-month rehabilitation without missing a game as he prepares to join his teammates for the season relaunch on July 3.
He is one of only two Wallabies to be locked in until the end of the 2023 World Cup and is adamant Australian rugby can be revived after a disastrous period for the game.
Rugby Australia is yet to secure a broadcast deal to fund Super Rugby in 2021 and beyond, sparking player concerns about contracts and prompting some to explore overseas options.
The Brumbies are confident they will be able to retain the bulk of their squad despite the uncertainty, including first-year skipper Alaalatoa.
Joe Powell has been linked to a move to the United States given Nic White has been signed as a halfback, while a host of other players including Scott Sio, Pete Samu and Tom Banks have all recommitted.
"I just want to rip in for the rest of this year and see what the future holds," Alaalatoa said.
"I've totally focused everything on this year to make sure I do everything I can for this franchise. I'm unsure of what next year holds, and that's the same for a lot of players.
"But for me, I've inked my deal until 2023 so my plans are to stay here and fight it out to help Australian rugby get back to where it was. That's both here at the Brumbies and at the Wallaby level."
The Brumbies have been penciled in to restart the season with a clash against the Melbourne Rebels in Canberra.
Being able to play at home will depend on several factors, including whether Fox Sports is willing to broadcast the game from the capital and if the ACT government reopens the stadium in time for round one.
The Brumbies ramped up full-contact training this week to start their preparations for the Rebels' clash, but they may also have to deal with law variations when details are finalised.
Officials are considering golden-point extra time to settle draws and being able to replace a red-carded player after 20 minutes to ensure there is a contest.
One of the areas being targeted is scrum time, with coaches and players keen to eliminate dead time between scrum resets and the initial pack down.
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But Alaalatoa warned of the risks of putting entertainment before safety, saying he wants to see an entertaining game but for front-rowers to be protected when almost 2000 kilograms collide at the set piece.
There has been a proposal to introduce a scrum shotclock to stop time wasting, as well as awarding a free kick to the attacking side if the scrum collapses.
"For me as a front-rower, you can't really rush the scrum because there are a lot of safety issues there," Alaalatoa said. "I'm all for the scrum reset going to the attacking side, but in terms of the scrum clock ... I'm probably against that.
"I think boys need to get on their bike to get to the scrum, but setting up takes time. We've been learning a lot of safety techniques so you don't end up with serious injuries.
"The scrum is a place where you can end up with a serious injury if you don't take that time to practice those."
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has been speaking regularly with his Australian counterparts and Rugby Australia officials about the potential changes to speed up the game and encourage attacking play.
Scrums chew up plenty of time, with reported figures suggesting it takes between 45-60 seconds to set every scrum. Alone it can be tolerated, but scrum resets - sometimes three or four - have slowed down the game.
"As coaches around the scrum, we just want to see scrummaging refereed to the law," McKellar said.
"If the ball is sitting at the back of a scrum and it collapses, play on. If you get a short-arm [free kick] at scrum-time, just tap and play.
"That way you don't lose the scrummaging contest, but you're speeding the game up and getting more ball in play time. That's an important thing.
"The drop-out for being held up over the line instead of going to a five-metre scrum ... that's good reward for the defensive side. At the same time it speeds the game up."