Tom Wright and Declan Meredith lead the race to ACT Brumbies' fullback spot for Super Rugby opener

Tom Wright will start at fullback for the Brumbies against the Melbourne Rebels in Wagga Wagga on Saturday, in the ACT's final trial match before the Super Rugby Pacific season kicks off in a fortnight.

Former Wests fullback Declan Meredith - who impressed in a pre-season clash with the NSW Waratahs last week - will start on the bench as Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham looks to settle on his first-choice XV.

Wright was the fourth man to play fullback for the Wallabies during last year's spring tour, slotting into the role during a stunning comeback win over Wales, with the No. 15 jersey seemingly wide open as Australia heads into a World Cup year under Eddie Jones.

But before Wright can even think of the World Cup, the 25-year-old who has spent the bulk of his career on the wing will have to win the race to his Super Rugby team's fullback spot to fill the void left by Tom Banks' move to Japan.

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"The question will probably come around who is going to play 15 for us with Banksy leaving," Larkham said.

"We had Dec Meredith play last week. He played two games in the game block last year in September and October, he played exceptionally well in those and he had a really good game on the weekend. We've got Tom Wright starting at 15 this week, being backed up by Dec Meredith on the bench.

"There is a bit of competition there and we're very keen to see a few different bodies in that position. These two have got the jump on everyone else this year by getting a bit of trial time, but we've got the likes of Jesse Mogg, Andy Muirhead, Ben O'Donnell and Corey Toole all with the ability to play fullback as well.

"It's a bit of a talking point within the team in terms of who is going to fill the role. We'll have an even clearer picture of that after the game on the weekend."

Ryan Lonergan will captain the Brumbies from scrumhalf this weekend as Allan Alaalatoa, Nic White, Rob Valetini and Noah Lolesio spend another weekend watching from afar before the season begins in Sydney on February 24.

Lolesio's absence means Jack Debreczeni takes the reins at flyhalf again, while Andy Muirhead returns on the wing to mark the only other change to the backline outside Wright.

In the forward pack, Cadeyrn Neville returns from the bench with Nick Frost and Darcy Swain the starting locks.

While Larkham admits the ideal scenario would see every player get minutes under their belt before round one, the Brumbies have been working with Rugby Australia to manage Wallabies players given they only returned to clubland on January 16.

"For them, because it has been a relatively short run-in to these games, they're going to benefit a little bit more from the training environment before they get into the competition games. I think like any player, you'd much prefer to play than train, so they're itching for round one," Larkham said.

"We've worked closely with Rugby Australia and identified the guys who need to get some minutes in, and taken into consideration the players' wants and needs. Some of the guys have asked to be a part of this trial.

"The ideal situation for every trial period is to get minutes into everyone so they've got that exposure to 15-on-15 live rugby.

"With a rough idea of who we're going to pick in the first game, we want to make sure we're getting enough minutes into those boys so they are ready to perform."

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