'He puts bums on seats': Brumbies back the Wright stuff

The Brumbies will get their first taste of contact work this week when they train in groups of 20, likely to be split into backs and forwards before coming together as a full team in June.

Some players have Wallabies jerseys dangling in front of them as motivation, others are vying for Super Rugby selection.

Coach Dan McKellar has set players individual tasks to improve in the nine-week shutdown so far, including getting young playmakers Noah Lolesio, Bayley Kuenzle and Reesjan Pasitoa to study footage of Crusaders maestro Richie Mo'unga.

Potential Wallabies bolter Tom Wright did his study last year after making the switch from NRL to rugby union and it has paid off, putting him on the radar of new Test coach Dave Rennie.

Wright, who was a schoolboy star but joined Manly in the NRL before arriving in Canberra, scored four tries in five games this year to already eclipse the three he scored in 13 appearances last year. "He's been superb," McKellar said. "It's off the back of the hard work he does behind the scenes. I go back to when he first came back to rugby, he watched so much vision. He'd send text messages, some of them 500 words, providing reports on games to Peter Hewat.

"It was good to see. The kid's just desperate to know his role and get better and better every day. You want to see those guys get rewarded. He's had a good start to the year and you'd like to think he's built that confidence now to kick on and take his game to another level.

MORE CANBERRA SPORT

"He's a point of difference player. Guys like Wrighty put bums on seats at games."

Back-rower Jahrome Brown has completed his two weeks in quarantine after visiting family in New Zealand, rejoining teammates at training last week.

Blake Enever had surgery on an Achilles problem and is being eased back into work, but it is hoped he will be fit and available for selection for the first game of a relaunched competition.

Rugby Australia officials are edging closer to a format and schedule for a domestic Super Rugby campaign, with the Western Force and Japan Sunwolves potential inclusions.

Rugby Australia has given initial clearance for the Brumbies to play games in Canberra, but the final say will likely be from Fox Sports, who have to pay to transport equipment to the capital.

The Brumbies had 12 players included in Rennie's first Wallabies squad, which was more to reinforce potential than pick them for Test matches. Lolesio was included in that, but he's still jostling with Kuenzle and Pasitoa for the No. 10 role in Canberra.

"Those three boys are all very good footballers who have potential. They've been watching [players like Mo'unga] to see how he goes about his role," McKellar said.

"It shows them that when you study a player you realise they make mistakes, but the reaction and not dwelling on it is a big part.

"If you were playing well in the first six weeks and you've trained hard, done the right things over the the past couple of months, then it's all taken into account around selection.

"But at the same time ... that period was a couple of months ago. Other guys training well and standing up between now and the start of the competition, that will be considered, too." The new season is slated to start on the weekend of July 3-4.