'Stand tall': Brumbies Murray Douglas urges locks to show Wallabies they're ready

It's widely thought a lack of experience in Australia's second-row stocks could be the trigger to change the "Giteau Law" for Test selection requirements when Dave Rennie starts his tenure as coach.

The sudden departure of Izack Rodda last month has compounded the absence of Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Sam Carter and Will Skelton as Wallabies options for this year and beyond.

Rodda, who quit the Queensland Reds after refusing to take a pay cut, has signed a deal in France, but is believed to be keen to return to Australia to potentially link with the Brumbies next year.

But tweaking the eligibility rules could pave the way for Rennie to pick up to two overseas-based players in his Wallabies squad, even if they haven't played 60 Tests for Australia.

The change has gathered support in Super Rugby circles, giving Rennie flexibility in his selection options and ensuring the Wallabies can recall talented players otherwise lost to international rugby.

Scottish-born Douglas, however, says the raw second-row talent playing in the relaunched domestic campaign have an opportunity to show Rennie why he doesn't need to look too far.

"It's a good opportunity for a lot of young guys to put their hands up and show selectors what they're capable of," Douglas said.

"Darcy [Swain] had a great game for us and he's only going to get better. He's only 23 years old. Whilst there might not be many senior heads at the minute, I think there's an opportunity for younger guys to show what they can do and push for higher honours."

Douglas and Swain have stepped in to fill the sizeable holes left by Arnold and Carter in Canberra, while the Brumbies also recruited Caderyn Neville to bolster the second-row stocks.

Neville's ankle injury will force Douglas and Swain to shoulder a heavy workload over the first month of the season, with a bye giving 30-year-old Douglas a chance to recover from a rib injury.

It's hoped Nick Frost will give the Brumbies' second row depth if he has overcome a foot injury, while Neville is expected to return in August.

Swain stood tall against the Melbourne Rebels last week, coach Dan McKellar describing his performance as the best of his 16-game career.

Whether that's enough to impress Rennie will depend on whether Swain can produce similar performances consistently as the new coach weighs up the balance of his squad if Test rugby goes ahead this year.

Douglas is also waiting to sort out his future, with Rugby Australia suspending all contract talks until it can finalise a broadcast deal and competition structure for 2021 and beyond.

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He had started just four of 21 games for the Brumbies, Rebels and Wellington Hurricanes before this year, but has established himself as a crucial cog of the forward pack this season.

"I prefer going into a game thinking I'm going to play 80 minutes because you can prepare for that and you know what's expected of you," Douglas said.

"It's a lot harder sitting on the bench and not knowing what point you'll come into the game. The way I play ... I need time to get through my work. I'm not the most flashy player."

The Brumbies have been given this week to recuperate after their first game in almost four months before returning to training to start preparations for a clash against the NSW Waratahs next weekend.

The disjointed start will give them an opportunity to reassess what went well and what faltered in their bonus-point triumph in a rejigged Australian competition.

One aspect they'll have to improve is discipline according to the law variations implemented to speed up the game. The Brumbies conceded 16 penalties in the total of 28 for 80 minutes.

"We got out to a good lead and let them back in ... we've spoken about that in review, not letting them go back to back in those crucial moments," said scrumhalf Joe Powell.

"We probably dropped off there and let in two tries we could have prevented. I thought the [game] was a good speed of play ... I'm not sure if it was the law variations or the boys wanting to play footy, but it was good."