ACT Brumbies year in review: Pain of 2022 Super Rugby exit driving squad as Stephen Larkham takes charge

It's pressure he knows will come as the Super Rugby season approaches.

One of Australia's greatest players, the Brumbies' favourite son has returned home for a second stint as coach of the franchise.

Despite the impressive resume, Larkham has big shoes to fill.

Former coach Dan McKellar has left a legacy of success. The Brumbies under McKellar were the best team in the nation and routinely challenged the New Zealand sides.

The mentor had the franchise one decision away from a place in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific final.

It's a platform Larkham is looking to build on in 2023 and he's confident he can take the Brumbies to the next level.

"It's a challenge to make sure it continues," Larkham said. "They've had success in the way they've played in the past. Since coming in I've tweaked a few things but we've kept a lot of continuity. We've got the same coaches with Rod (Seib), Laurie (Fisher) and Dan (Palmer) and we've kept a lot of continuity with the style of play and we want to take that into next year.

"We've made a few little tweaks in terms of the way we're training with the intensity we're training with and the markers we're trying to hit this year. We want to play at maximum intensity when we have the ball."

The Brumbies' Super Rugby exit left a bitter taste in the mouths of everyone at the club.

A week after a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Hurricanes in the quarter-final, the Brumbies travelled to Auckland determined to shock the Blues and secure the franchise's first victory at Eden Park since 2013.

The first half did not go to plan, with the hosts racing away to a 20-7 lead.

The match turned in the second half and two Lachlan Lonergan tries cut the deficit to just one with two minutes remaining.

The Brumbies had one final chance to win after Luke Reimer forced a turnover, the referee controversially opting not to award the visitors a penalty. Instead Noah Lolesio was forced to take a long range shot at drop-goal that was charged down.

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The disappointing finish to 2022 has motivated the side throughout the first six weeks of pre-season and will act as further fuel throughout the new campaign.

"It's certainly motivating," assistant coach Laurie Fisher said. "Without doubt the competition will be improved on where it was last year, sides will get better. Teams like the Crusaders have shown that if you work hard and have good people and good systems, you can stay around the top.

"The key is to build on the platform (left by McKellar). I don't think we require any reinvention, it's just finding from Stephen's philosophies and observations the small areas that can take us to another level."

In a year in which the future of the trans-Tasman partnership was called into question, the Brumbies proved Australian teams were capable of elevating their game to the Kiwis' level.

McKellar's side claimed four wins over New Zealand sides, along with two last-gasp losses to the Blues.

Fisher identifies the victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton as a season highlight and the point the players fully realised what it takes to match it with the Kiwi franchises.

It's a platform the coaching staff are eager to build upon in 2023, with the team determined to put past struggles in the rearview mirror.

"I thought our performance against the Chiefs in Hamilton was outstanding," Fisher said. "It's where we changed our game to adapt to how we wanted to play the New Zealand sides.

"It gave us a good template moving forward. From there, we had two good wins against the Hurricanes and a couple of one-point losses to the Blues. We had our foot on the till, we just couldn't finish it off."

McKellar shared Fisher's view and identified the quarter-final victory over the Hurricanes as a season highlight. While he won't be leading the team forward into 2023, he backed Larkham to help the Brumbies take the next step.

"We performed well against the New Zealand sides, the teams considered the best in the competition," McKellar said. "We were a decision away from playing in the grand final.

"It was disappointing we didn't make the grand final. I know we would've challenged the Crusaders and they know that as well. It wasn't to be but overall it was an enjoyable year, a good year but not the great season you're after by winning a competition."

McKellar spent the season blooding a number of youngsters in his bid to prepare the team for the departure of senior players.

Wallabies Scott Sio, Tom Banks, Folau Fainga'a and Irae Simone all left the club, while Rodney Iona, Cam Clark and Lachie Albert also departed.

The Brumbies have recruited the likes of Corey Toole and Tamati Tua to help fill the void. Hudson Creighton has also taken his game to the next level since the conclusion of the Super Rugby season and has been touted as a future star.

Fainga'a's departure will open up opportunities for Lachlan Lonergan and Billy Pollard at hooker.

McKellar carefully managed the club's young stars and Larkham takes over at a crucial time in their development.

"It's yet to be seen if they are ready for Super Rugby but they've certainly trained well throughout pre-season," Larkham said. "The players understand the opportunity that has been presented to them.

"They've used the first six weeks to put themselves in a good position to perform in the early rounds. A number of senior players have left key positions open for the young guys to come through. This is an opportunity for the guys in the early rounds to stamp their mark on those positions and show us they're capable of playing at this level."

Rugby Australia will require Wallabies players to be rested for a certain number of games based on their age and experience throughout 2023.

The mandate will hit the Brumbies harder than any other franchise due to their sheer volume of international stars.

Twelve players featured in the recent spring tour and the likes of Allan Alaalatoa and James Slipper are set to miss up to two matches during the season.

The Wallabies will only officially commence pre-season on January 16 and will have just six weeks to prepare for round one.

Larkham concedes he will have to juggle his international players' workloads throughout the season but views the rotation policy as a key opportunity to showcase the depth within his squad.

"When you add it all up, there's quite a few games the Wallabies players won't be available," he said. "It's another reason why it's an exciting season for the young guys coming through.

"When you're looking at the team throughout the year, you generally call on just about everyone in the squad. It goes back to how good this training block has been in preparing the players. We'll have another four weeks in January that will be another opportunity to prepare themselves."

BIGGEST DEPARTURE: Tom Banks. The flying fullback was in scintillating form at the start of the year, which is why Japanese rugby came running with a deal worth $1.4 million per year. The Brumbies and Rugby Australia couldn't get anywhere near that, but it was a shame to see Banks leave before he hit his peak.

BIGGEST STORY: The ACT is back! Almost 20 years after ditching the geographical recognition in their name, the Brumbies are adding the ACT back to their jersey and branding. It won't be the silver bullet for crowds, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

BIGGEST STORY II: The Brumbies are going private. The franchise owned by the ACT Rugby Union is testing the market to see if they can get a private investor to beef up their bottom line. It's unclear how much they will be able to generate from the deal for up to a 49 per cent stake in the Brumbies.

IT'S A BIG YEAR FOR: Noah Lolesio. We're not sure what Lolesio did to Dave Rennie, but he was certainly on the Wallabies outer this year. The equation for next year is simple: dominate Super Rugby and make it impossible for Rennie to ignore.

WATCH OUT FOR: Corey Toole. He turned heads on the sevens circuit with his blistering speed, but he's got power to match for the Super Rugby transition.

SEASON SUMMARY: Played 14 - won 10, lost 4.

DEPARTING PLAYERS: Scott Sio, Tom Banks, Folau Fainga'a, Irae Simone, Rodney Iona, Cam Clark and Lachie Albert

NEW PLAYERS: Corey Toole, Ben O'Donnell, Jack Debreczeni, Tamati Tua, Declan Meredith (promoted from Elite Development Squad), Charlie Cale (Promoted from EDS), Klayton Thorn (Promoted from EDS), Nathan Carroll (Promoted from EDS), Harry Vella (Promoted from EDS)

2023 SQUAD: Allan Alaalatoa, Fred Kaihea, Sefo Kautai, Tom Ross, James Slipper, Harry Vella, Billy Pollard, Lachlan Lonergan, Connal McInerney, Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Cadeyrn Neville, Darcy Swain, Jahrome Brown, Charlie Cale, Ed Kennedy, Luke Reimer, Rory Scott, Rob Valetini, Ryan Lonergan, Klayton Thorn, Nic White, Jack Debreczeni, Noah Lolesio, Nathan Carroll, Hudson Creighton, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Len Ikitau, Ollie Sapsford, Tamati Tua, Declan Meredith, Jesse Mogg, Andy Muirhead, Ben O'Donnell,Corey Toole, Tom Wright

Round 1: Brumbies 29 bt Force23

Round 2: Brumbies 42 bt Drua 3

Round 3: Brumbies 27 bt Waratahs 20

Round 4: Brumbies 36 bt Rebels 17

Round 5: Brumbies 16 bt Reds 12

Round 6: Brumbies 39 bt Force 38

Round 7: Reds 21 bt Brumbies 7

Round 8: Brumbies 33 bt Drua 12

Round 10Brumbies 28 bt Highlanders 17

Round 11: Brumbies 42 bt Hurricanes 25

Round 12: Brumbies 38 bt Chiefs 28

Round 13: Crusaders 37 bt Brumbies 26

Round 14: Blues 21 bt Brumbies 19

Round 15: Pasifika 32 bt Brumbies 22

Quarter-Final: Brumbies 35 bt Hurricanes 25

Semi-FInal: Blues 20 bt Brumbies 19

February 24: Waratahs v Brumbies at Sydney, 7.35pm

March 5: Blues v Brumbies at Melbourne, 2pm

March 11: Brumbies v Reds at Canberra, 7.45pm

March 18: Brumbies v Moana Pasifika at Canberra, 7.45pm

March 24: Crusaders v Brumbies at Christchurch, 5.05pm

April 1: Brumbies v Waratahs at Canberra, 7.45pm

April 7: Brumbies v Reds at Brisbane, 7.35pm

April 14: Brumbies v Drua at Canbera, 7.35pm

April 28: Hurricanes v Brumbies at Wellington, 5.05pm

May 7: Rebels v Brumbies at Melbourne, 2.35pm

May 14: Brumbies v Highlanders at Canberra, 2.35pm

May 20: Force v Brumbies at Perth, 10pm

May 27: Brumbies v Chiefs at Canberra, 7.45pm

June 2: Brumbies v Rebels at Canberra, 7.35pm

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