Tom Wright shines in ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby AU clash with Western Force

The ACT Brumbies winger capped off a superb piece of play in the opening two minutes and had a hand in a superb counter-attacking try just moments later in a 24-0 shutout over the Western Force at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old could soon find himself at the centre of a tug-of-war between rugby union and rugby league having starred for the Brumbies in Super Rugby AU this year.

Rugby Australia have paused contract negotiations with players as uncertainty hovers over the future of the professional ranks.

Manly Warringah, Wright's former club in the NRL, are keeping an eye on the situation in the hope they can bring him back to the 13-man code.

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There is little doubt the Brumbies will have Wright high on the agenda when Rugby Australia's contract negotiation freeze is lifted.

"A couple of really good tries. It's good to see the boys use their skill, it's something we encourage them to do and they did it well," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said about the fast start.

The Brumbies were in need of a playmaker to stand up and guide them to the Super Rugby AU finals when Noah Lolesio's breakout season came to a shuddering halt.

Flyhalf Bayley Kuenzle rose to the challenge after being given the nod from McKellar, with Lolesio racing the clock to return from a hamstring injury in time for the finals.

Kuenzle offers a point of difference to Lolesio - he is a big body reliant on a classy passing and kicking game more so than the slick footwork and raw skill that made Lolesio a Wallabies contender.

Lolesio will undoubtedly be missed after his stunning run of form, but Kuenzle has shown he is up to the task with Reesjan Pasitoa waiting in the wings.

"We talk all the time about when we expose the young players that we're ready to go," McKellar said.

"We won't throw them under the bus, they're young men and in that position there is a lot of responsibility to direct play calls, to direct the guys around the park, tell guys much more senior than them what to do.

"He has been working away nicely in the background. At the start of the year it was touch and go between BK, Noah and Reesjan.

"Noah got his opportunity and took it. BK got an opportunity tonight and took it. It's pleasing we're getting that development aspect right."

The Force are still searching for their first Super Rugby win since 2017 after falling short against the Brumbies in their third match since returning to the fold.

Tim Sampson's side has made a habit of starting fast before being run down late in the piece - and the Brumbies' early blitz presented them with a new challenge.

The hosts, who have been forced out of their home state due to coronavirus restrictions, trailed 12-0 in the blink of an eye and the floodgates threatened to burst open.

But they hung tough against the Brumbies in what ACT prop Allan Alaalatoa dubbed a genuine "grudge match" and showed enough to suggest they could compete with Australia's best.

All they lacked was the poise to be clinical when they had chances to score.