Folau Fainga'a says the ACT Brumbies have all the tools to make Australian rugby great again and fulfil a burning ambition to attract more eyeballs to the game.
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Super Rugby AU has been brought to life after the Brumbies pipped the Queensland Reds after the siren to close out arguably the game of the season.
The Brumbies hooker says critics can think what they want about the Australian competition leaders being one trick ponies relying on a rolling maul to score tries.
Because the Brumbies have only scored nine tries out of 47 all year from mauls, and what he dubs a world class back line has the skill to bring crowds to their feet.
Just 1500 have been allowed to watch the Brumbies' home games since the rugby kicked off after a coronavirus-induced shutdown, and they had an average attendance of 7492 beforehand.
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But Fainga'a believes the unbeaten title favourites can reignite crowd support when restrictions eventually ease.
"That's all I want, especially for rugby in Australia." Fainga'a said.
"I just want everyone to get back around it, I want it to be like the old times when it was exciting rugby. Throwing the ball around is attracting our fans and everyone else's fans to come and watch us play.
"Hopefully some restrictions ease off and get a bit bigger of a crowd next time. It's good to have all of our fans come in and be behind us on our home turf.
"They sound like there are about 50,000 people in the stands, they're very vocal out there. Whether it's one person showing up or none showing up [due to restrictions], we know they're supporting us from everywhere."
The Brumbies are planning to head up the highway this week for a clash against the Melbourne Rebels at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar is considering rotating a handful of players to help cope with a shorter turnaround, giving him the chance to rest some sore bodies.
But officials are waiting with bated breath amid concern the game could be forced to move as health authorities warn against travelling to Sydney after a COVID-19 outbreak.
An approach to host the game at Canberra Stadium fell on deaf ears but the Gold Coast has been floated as a left-field option. Central Coast Stadium could come into the fray given the Rebels are based in Terrigal.
A match day trip to Queensland would be a tough ask for the two title contenders, but the Reds have been forced to do it throughout the rebooted campaign.
"It's not easy travelling on the same day on a plane, coming out and playing rugby, it's not that easy to do," Fainga'a said.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
