Super call: Rugby Australia decides if fans will be allowed at Brumbies-Rebels game

The Brumbies will travel into enemy territory for what will be an emotional contest on Friday night as the Rebels look to make a statement in what could be the club's final year in existence.

The franchise has fallen into voluntary administration after amassing $20 million in debt, with Rugby Australia refusing to guarantee its future beyond 2024.

Tickets for the season-opener will finally go on sale on Monday afternoon, ending concerns the teams could be playing in front of empty stands.

Rugby Australia has been negotiating a new venue agreement with the a new venue agreement with the Melbourne and Olympic Park Trusts to play Super Rugby games. The Rebels owed more than $1 million to the trust in unpaid fees.

But Rugby Australia finalised a deal, with tickets to be available from 3pm.

"RA and MOPT have executed a new venue agreement for the remainder of 2024 - this agreement incorporates suppliers such as caterers," the RA statement said.

"The Rebels have worked closely with Ticketek to expediate tickets going on sale following the execution of the venue agreement."

Head office is expected to make a decision on the future of the club as soon as next month, although RA has guaranteed the Rebels will play out out the current season.

The administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, last week cut 10 staff including long-serving chief executive Baden Stephenson.

On the field, the Rebels have assembled a talent-laden squad and completed an undefeated pre-season with a 26-21 victory over the Fijian Drua on Friday.

The Rebels have a history of causing upsets over the Brumbies, with the side's maiden win a 25-24 victory over ACT in 2011.

Larkham is alert to the danger Friday's game poses, but said the focus is on ensuring his team arrives in Victoria ready to launch their campaign with a win.

"We're concentrating on our preparation," Larkham said. "Every team that we come up against is going to have something they're playing for or some sort of motivation, individually or collectively that we might not be aware of.

"We started well today and then we'll get into it Monday and Wednesday. We've got a slightly modified in-season week this year that we're trialling now. We trialled it in Perth and we're trialling it again this week and we'll come up with some iterations to try and get better and better."

The Brumbies have navigated a number of injuries throughout the pre-season, with numerous Wallabies missing their two trial wins.

Newly-crowned John Eales Medal winner Rob Valetini is set to make his return from a foot injury, while Cadeyrn Neville is hoping to return from a hamstring injury picked up in the win over the Drua.

Star centre Len Ikitau left the Western Force trial with a calf complaint, with staff to monitor the 25-year-old before making a final decision later in the week.

"They're going well in the rehab program at the moment," Larkham said. "If they have a setback, it knocks them off course of playing.

"The hard thing for the guys coming back from injury is that we lack a bit of continuity so we'll make a decision by the end of the week about whether those guys are part of the team."

Larkham was talking at the ACT Brumbies annual fan day, the club's men and women's players mingling with supporters young and old.

The coach has watched as the Brumbies' connection with Canberra has waxed and waned over the past two decades.

While Larkham played in front of packed houses on a weekly basis, crowd numbers started to dwindle in the years before COVID hit, before falling off a cliff as government restrictions limited crowd sizes.

The post-coronavirus world has provided the Brumbies with a clean slate to build off as they look to reconnect with fans and the wider community.

It has been a long and slow slog, but officials can start to see the hard work paying off.

Larkham made it his mission as he returned to Canberra last year to turn his players into household names, to ensure they are instantly recognisable as they walk down the street.

It's a status long held by Raiders stars but few Brumbies can boast such a claim.

Last season saw the team take the first steps in rectifying the situation, with players conducting school visits, attending community events and engaging with corporate partners on a weekly basis.

Sunday's fan day was the latest step in Larkham's bid to build his team's profile as his players mingled with the true believers.

The coach was pleased with the turnout and declared his optimism for the continued growth of the Brumbies.

"We're feeling the support of the community but this is also for us to show that we appreciate their support," Larkham said.

"It's really important for our program to connect with the community. All of the players that come down here have to pick a John I Dent Cup team and become part of the community. We're encouraging as much as possible the boys get into their clubs and the rugby communities to spread the word of rugby and show we're all connected."

ACT officials have adopted a variety of strategies to grow crowds and build passion among the wider community for the Brumbies.

The team will host three Saturday afternoon games this year and they are exploring holding a match at Manuka Oval later in the season.

Crowds steadily grew throughout the 2023 campaign and there is hope attendances will continue to rise in what is expected to be a successful year on the field.

While the Brumbies have engaged closely with the dedicated fans, the harder challenge is re-engaging the wider community, many of which are jaded after years of declining Wallabies performances and Rugby Australia drama.

As so often happens, rugby has been its own worst enemy and the Wallabies World Cup struggles and a turbulent off-season have left many casual fans disenfranchised with the game.

The Brumbies are urging the Canberra community to put the national drama to the side and support their team, with Larkham declaring bigger crowds have a direct impact on his squad's performances.

"That's the number one goal for the club at the moment," he said.

"We feel as players and staff if we get more people through the gate, we play better, with more confidence and we put a better show on, and the result generally goes our way."