Brumbies to throw 36-year-old hooker John Ulugia into return 16 years after his Super debut

The hard-as-nails hooker, who has spent almost a decade in France, will play for the Brumbies on Thursday in the last off-season trial before Super Rugby players are sent on holidays.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham tapped 36-year-old Ulugia on the shoulder after watching him dominate John I Dent Cup opponents when he returned to the Tuggeranong Vikings in August.

Now he will suit up against the Melbourne Rebels as the Brumbies go on a hit-and-run one-day mission to Albury.

"I'm excited. It's one of those hard things to explain, but honestly I'm just excited to be playing for the Brumbies again," Ulugia said.

"At the start when I came back I was learning towards coaching and then playing for the Vikings just sort of happened because of injuries.

"I was surprised the Brumbies called because I wasn't expecting anything like that. But it's a good way to finish my career given I started my professional career at the Brumbies. [Larkham] was playing when I started ... alongside the likes of Gregan, Mortlock, Jeremy Paul.

"Now to finish it with some young guys come through ... I'm trying not to get too caught up in the emotions side of things."

Ulugia was at peace with his decision to stop playing at an elite level and his family packed up and moved to Canberra earlier this year.

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But Larkham has drafted Ulugia - the cousin of current Brumby Pete Samu - in for two reasons: to add experience in the front row and to fill Dan Palmer's coaching boots while the regular forwards mentor is in Japan with Australia A.

It works perfectly for Ulugia, who wants to get into coaching after retiring from professional rugby earlier this year and is one of Palmer's best friends.

The Brumbies boast some of Australia's best young hookers in their full-time squad. Lachlan Lonergan, Connal McInerney and Billy Pollard all have Wallabies experience and will form the rotation for the 2023 Super Rugby campaign.

But it's nice for Larkham to know Ulugia is there in the background if needed, although the former Clermont and Bayonne front-rower says he's not going to launch a professional return.

"I'm pretty excited about some of the younger talent coming through," Ulugia said. "I'll be helping Palms, hanging around with [Larkham] to learn what I can there as well."

One of the big challenges for Ulugia will be the experimental laws the Brumbies and Rebels have agreed to abide by in the clash.

There will be time limits on setting scrums and lineouts, as well as restarting play, penalty kicks and how quickly scrumhalves must use the ball at the back of a ruck.

Officials said it was hard to notice the difference in the first use of the rules against in a Brumbies-Waratahs trial match two weeks ago, but the players felt the need to speed-up play.

The predicted rain in Albury, however, may slow the game down.

"That might work in my favour," Ulugia joked. "It's definitely going to be faster.

"I've been over in Europe for the past 10 years where the rugby is all impact, tough at the set piece and you've got to fight for every inch.

"The physicality part - I'm up for it. The speed of the game will be something I haven't experienced for a long time."

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