But clapping to break the silence of their quiet Macquarie street on chilly Thursday night was about more than pausing a career as a lawyer to play rugby. It was about appreciation, especially for emergency department doctor Lyons.

"We tried it," Megan laughs. "But it didn't last that long, I think we did it once and that was it."

A weekly thanks to healthcare workers has become a worldwide trend, particularly in Europe, since the coronavirus pandemic changed the world earlier this year. So Scottish couple Douglas and Lyons gave it a try in suburban Canberra and although it was a one-off, the admiration is everlasting.

Douglas had every reason to feel frustrated when the Super Rugby season was shutdown in March and the players were told they may not get on the field again this year. The second-rower was in career-best form, starting every game just five years after putting his legal ambitions to take a chance on rugby.

Lyons gave him perspective. The rugby hiatus was annoying and also forced the couple of postpone their wedding scheduled for later this year, but Lyons was on the front line at The Canberra Hospital emergency department assessing those with COVID-19 symptoms.

Douglas trained by himself in the initial stages of a modified rugby program, but it was a small sacrifice given the task Lyons had. "I think everyone in the team thought it was strange [when the season stopped]. You saw everything in the news, but it didn't seem like it was much in Australia or Canberra," Douglas said.

"I was in a state of disbelief. But Megan being a doctor in emergency, she was a first point of contact for people coming in with symptoms. She was saying, 'this isn't a joke'. Speaking to her, it made me realise it was a big deal."

Lyons adds: "Now that we've come out the other side, I've said to Murray it's been a real privilege to work through a pandemic and to see the way everyone prepared, the hospital was outstanding."

Douglas is cut from the same cloth as Scott Fardy - an unassuming and hard-working recruit the Brumbies were willing to take a chance on. Fardy went on to become one of the world's best flankers. Up until this year Douglas, 30, had started just four times in his late-blooming Super Rugby career. This year was his chance, and he made the most of it until it all stopped.

Douglas had wait until the Brumbies relaunched their season against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday night, bringing some normalcy back to sport with 1500 fans in the Canberra Stadium stands. It was fitting for the first game back to be against Melbourne because that's where Douglas and Lyons started their Australian journey.

The pair met at university 13 years ago and moved to Melbourne for an adventure when they finished their studies. Douglas emerged on the Rebels' radar, but he had to make a choice: commit his hours to a legal career or train on the Rebels fringes.

"I remember him coming home when he was working at a law firm in Melbourne. We sat at the table and he said the Rebels approached him and he asked what he should do. I laughed at him," Lyons said.

"It wasn't a question. Just go for it ... I'm glad he just went for it and it's been a rollercoaster since then.

"My family were very much a soccer family growing up, but when Murray came on the scene we all became rugby followers. There's been a lot of rugby in my life now."

Douglas has thought several times in his career "rugby might not happen". "The Rebels asked me to train in the pre-season, but was 26 or 27 and it was unpaid. I was at a fork in the road," Douglas said. "It was my last roll of the dice in Melbourne ... I got two months off and if it didn't work out I was going back. I got a contract, but I broke my thumb two days later."

Opportunity led Douglas to the New Zealand provincial competition and then the Wellington Hurricanes, before the Brumbies came knocking. It was perfect timing because Lyons was still based in Melbourne.

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Douglas played 11 games in his debut Brumbies season and is a crucial piece of the 2020 pack after the departure of Rory Arnold and Sam Carter.

"I wanted to be a starting lock this year. I just want to play as much as I can before I have to retire."

Lyons, though, watches every game hoping she won't have to take her partner to her workplace.

"I do really worry about him. When he was playing for Northland, I just finished a shift and went to the game. He broke his eye socket, but we didn't know,"

"So we drove all the way home, then he blew his nose. Murray said he'd be fine, but I told him to get back in the car. So we went back to the hospital again ... I was basically at work all day. If he walks home with a limp I think, 'Oh gosh'. And he definitely downplays it because of my reaction."

But is Douglas a lawyer first, rugby player second, or the other way around? "I'm committed to my full-time job and that's as a rugby player. I haven't done any other work since 2016," Douglas said.

"I don't know if I will go back to being a practising lawyer when I finish. My background is a humble working-class background. I'm definitely passionate about rugby. There's a lot of moving parts, especially with the contract freeze. There's a lot of uncertainty now, but I'll just do what's best for Megan and I."