The former junior All Black joined the club five weeks before Christmas and has been working tirelessly through pre-season either side of the festive period in a bid to banish a lengthy injury list to the rear-view mirror.

Tucker was at the Auckland Blues last season but didn't play a Super Rugby game after rupturing his ACL in a practice match.

It was the same injury he suffered back in 2016 while plying his trade at the Waikato Chiefs.

At 26 years of age, Tucker has managed just five Super Rugby caps, but the luckless lock was hopeful his latest opportunity would mark a change in fortune.

"[It's a] new environment, new country, you need to prove yourself to your teammates, it's probably a good situation to be in coming back from injury, in my mind anyway," Tucker said.

"You push yourself that little bit more to be prepared. It definitely takes complacency out of the situation, not that I was overly complacent.

"I'll be 27 by the end of this year, so there's still a bit of time on my side."

Tucker knows Brumbies staffer Chris Tindall from his days as high-performance manager at the Chiefs, and the pair maintained contact after Tindall came to Canberra in 2018.

And when Tindall and Brumbies coach Dan McKellar offered him the chance to reignite his Super Rugby career, Tucker leaped at the opportunity.

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"I Injured my knee last year and I didn't play at the Blues, and Chris and Dan got in contact about where I was at with my rehab and where I'd be looking to play when I got back," Tucker said.

"They just gave me a chance, really, which I'll be grateful for for a long time.

"He [McKellar] is a real good bloke. He runs a tough ship but I think it's exactly what we need.

"He's won the title last year so what he's doing is working and everyone's buying in as well, which is what you need."