Saturday afternoon Super Rugby returns to Canberra Stadium as ACT Brumbies' fixture looms

The Canberra Times can reveal the Brumbies' Super Rugby Pacific campaign is set to kick off in Auckland against club great Christian Leali'ifano and Moana Pasifika in round one.

Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby are poised to publish the 2022 fixture - likely to include a Super Round with all games at one venue - at midday on Monday. The Brumbies' first home game comes against the NSW Waratahs in round three.

The Brumbies' prayers have been answered with the club set to host two afternoon matches - against the Wellington Hurricanes on a Saturday in round five, and the Western Force on a Sunday in round 12.

But question marks hover over the Brumbies' round six home game against the Waikato Chiefs. The NRL struck first and locked in Canberra Stadium for a clash between the Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans at 7.35pm on Saturday, March 26.

MORE SPORT

It is understood the Chiefs are opposed to playing on a Sunday so as to avoid a five-day turnaround for their next match, while moving the game to a Friday night may create a clash with another Super Rugby game.

The Brumbies could shift the clash to Viking Park or Manuka Oval, but there are six-figure fees attached to taking games away to Canberra Stadium due to their venue agreement with the ACT government.

Another Super Rugby AU grand final rematch between the Brumbies and Queensland Reds is slated for a Friday night in Canberra during round 11.

The Canterbury Crusaders make a long-awaited return to Canberra in round 14 before the Brumbies close out the regular season against the Auckland Blues on a Friday night in the capital.

The Brumbies have returned for pre-season training, though a chunk of the group including coach Dan McKellar are still on Spring Tour duties with the Wallabies, who fell 32-15 to England at Twickenham on Sunday morning.

The score could have blown out if not for two try-saving efforts from Brumbies and Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White.

"He's a real competitor, isn't he? He certainly competes every time he's out there," Brumbies assistant coach Rod Seib said.

"Back when Quade [Cooper] kicked that penalty to win the game against South Africa, that was all on the back of Whitey competing. He's so tenacious that he can do those special things.

"To be world class, you've got to be looking to improve every time you're out there and he certainly fits that category. He's world class and he's a real competitor."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: