Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham excited by talks to make Super Rugby more attractive

In what is hopefully a sign of committed collaboration, coaches, referees and competition bosses are set to discuss the state of the game and potential improvements for the coming years.

Fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the stop-start nature of rugby in recent years, with stoppages robbing teams of momentum and excitement.

But Australian clubs met last week at a "shape of the game" conference and New Zealand teams will join the discussions later this month.

Any change will take time to filter through, but the positive and proactive nature of the talks will be music to the ears of ACT Brumbies fans.

The Brumbies have been Australia's best-performed team in recent years but have watched crowd numbers dwindle despite their on-field success.

New coach Stephen Larkham has just returned from a stint with Irish giants Munster, who regularly play in front of sell-out crowds and benefit from being the No.1 sport in the country.

But instead of copying what happens overseas, Larkham said Super Rugby needed to be unique as Australian teams attempt to capitalise on what looms as a crucial period.

Dave Rennie is rebuilding the Wallabies ahead of the World Cup in France next year, before setting sights on the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour and then Australia hosting the 2027 World Cup.

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"From everything I've heard, New Zealand is also very proactive in trying to shape the game in terms of making it a better spectacle and getting crowds to the games," Larkham said.

"We need to make the game a little bit more exciting. One of the big things for me at the moment is the amount of stoppage time we have.

"We need the ball in play longer, and that comes down to a number of things. When we met last week with coaches, [chief executives], broadcasters, referees and administrators we talked about the little tweaks we can make.

"That's pretty exciting. There's more ball in play time overseas ... but the game here has to be different. The game is thriving over there [in Ireland] and all of that learning comes back here. But we're not playing the same sort of rugby.

"We have to change the game and the conference last week started that process.

"Our job as a small provincial team [in Canberra] is that we have to really embrace the community, get into the community and grow the game in this area as much as possible."

Larkham returned to Brumbies headquarters this week to start his second stint as the boss, confirming Laurie Fisher, Rod Seib and Dan Palmer as his full-time assistants for next year.

Physiotherapy guru Byron Field will also return to the Brumbies after spending time at Bath in England, while Larkham is also working to fill the final spots available on his roster.

The challenge will be trying to have his squad ready for the start of Super Rugby on February 24, with his Wallabies representatives to be on leave until just five weeks before round one.

But the former champion flyhalf was excited about taking the reins from Dan McKellar and having an opportunity to return to where he launched his career.

Wallabies Tom Banks, Scott Sio, Folau Fainga'a and Irae Simone have left Canberra, while Jack Debreczeni and Ben O'Donnell will likely sign deals to bolster the back line.

"We've got a number of young guys who have put their hand up through the last season and some guys who are training exceptionally well ... there's a lot of excitement around those positions," Larkham said.

"The general depth of the squad is very good at the moment. So we've got what 15 or 16 Wallabies and a couple more guys who are in the Australian A team. So there's there's been a really good program here over the last couple of years and the quality of player here at the moment is really good.

"Some things have changed ... but it feels like home, it feels good to be back."

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