'It's a fresh start': Brumbies say Super Rugby Pacific draw is a chance to relaunch

Super Rugby Pacific published its first draw on Monday, with the Brumbies to start their season on the road against newcomers Moana Pasifika before a "Super Round" for all teams in Melbourne in week two.

The format is the latest iteration of Super Rugby, which hit its popularity peak in the Super 12 and Super 14 era before being bogged down by over-the-top expansion and then destroyed by virus restrictions.

This isn't the first opportunity for a new start. It's been a constant theme since the early 2000s. Whether this one is different will depend on creating a connection with people who have been lost to the game.

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The new competition, however, will allow the Brumbies to play two day games - one on a Saturday in round five and another on a Sunday in round 12 - after years of having requests knocked back because of the need to cater for travel and South African timezones.

There appears to be a willingness from all teams and unions to work together to deliver an appealing product for television and for fans in the stands.

Attendance numbers have dwindled across the competition over the past decade and the Brumbies have been hit particularly hard by the lack of engagement with a supporter base.

People won't flood back into the stands immediately, but veteran Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher is optimistic for a turnaround.

"It genuinely feels like a new competition in the new start," Fisher said.

"What's past is past and now we're looking at the future. And I think that's exciting. Not just in terms of who you're playing, but then in in drawing a line in the sand about our own game ... we need to get better.

"We've got a lot of new young players, so all that adds a freshness.

"We know from last year's training testament we've got key areas for improvement. But we know that it's not earth shattering things we need to change.

"It feels new, it feels fresh. We've changed a little bit of the philosophy around our program about how we train and what we're trying to achieve. So I really do feel as though it's the start of a new era."

The Brumbies and Moana Pasifika will play the first game of the season at a new Super Rugby venue - Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

It gives both teams a chance to take centre stage, and will see former Brumbies skipper Christian Leali'ifano square off against the club he fell in love with over more than a decade of service.

Leali'ifano's Super Rugby career was thought to be over when he left the Brumbies at the end of 2019, moving to Japan for the twilight of his career.

But he's back to spearhead Moana Pasifika six years after being diagnosed with leukaemia, then beating the disease to make a Brumbies comeback 12 months later.

"It will be emotional for him," Fisher said. I don't know if it will be that emotional for us.

"For him, playing against the team he served so well as a player and as a leader, that will be a very emotional time for him."

The Brumbies have long-desired day-time action to stop fans using the chilly Canberra nights as an excuse for not turning up.

They'll play the Wellington Hurricanes at 2.35pm on a Saturday in March and then the Western Force at 2pm on a Sunday in May.

The 2pm timeslot has traditionally been shunned by Super Rugby officials because it fell into the no-go timezone for South African viewers.

South African teams are no longer part of Super Rugby, allowing greater flexibility in Australia and New Zealand and giving teams a chance to offer their fans a new experience.

The Brumbies have been riding high for the past 18 months. Super Rugby AU pitted the Brumbies against only Australian rivals.

They won the title last year and then lost the grand final against the Queensland Reds this year. The real tests have been few and far between, apart from a five-game hit-and-run trans-Tasman series.

But the Brumbies will play the Waikato Chiefs twice and every other New Zealand team, giving a true reflection of how much progress they've made.

Fisher said the trans-Tasman series this year showed the Brumbies where their deficiencies were.

"We just lacked a little bit of power and dynamism ... we've been a hard working team for a long time, but every team works hard.

"You need other things in your armory and we've probably neglected a little bit of speed, power and dynamism, which allows you to capitalise on half breaks and offloads.

"We've just changed our focus in terms of how we train how we prepare plays in the gym. And we're hoping that that'll that'll make an obvious difference for us.

"We're still going to maintain the essence of being a strong mauling team. You don't survive if you haven't got a strong set piece. But we feel inside just sort of dynamism is something that we're just slightly behind in."

It has worked in rugby league, so why not rugby union? All Super Rugby teams will gather in Melbourne in round two for three-day bonanza of action.

It is hoped the Super Rugby round will generate excitement in Melbourne and in the future it could be shared between different venues and countries each year.

The Brumbies will play the Melbourne Rebels in the final fixture of the weekend on a Sunday afternoon.

"There are some great things happening in Super Rugby ... some really good marketing things," Fisher said.

"I think all those things will cultivate an interest in the game, it will bring out the best in the players and it'll create a great product for for people who love rugby."

Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua will join five Australian and five New Zealand teams in the new competition. The introduction of new teams, and reintegrating New Zealand opponents on a week to week basis will add challenges for ACT side.

The competition will also be Brumbies coach McKellar's final season in charge in Canberra before he moves into a full-time Wallabies assistant coaching role.

The Brumbies are in the final stages of the search for his replacement, with Stephen Larkham, Simon Cron and Peter Hewat believed to be in contention.

February 18: Moana Pasifika v Brumbies at Auckland, 5.05pm.

February 27: Rebels v Brumbies at Melbourne, 4pm.

March 5: Brumbies v Waratahs at Canberra, 7.45pm.

March 12: Reds v Brumbies at Brisbane, 7.45pm.

March 19: Brumbies v Hurricanes at Canberra, 2.35pm.

Round 6 date TBC: Brumbies v Chiefs at Canberra, TBC

April 1: Force v Brumbies at Perth, 9pm.

April 15: Fijian Drua v Brumbies at TBC, 7.45pm.

April 22: Highlanders v Brumbies at Dunedin, 5.05pm.

April 29: Brumbies v Reds at Canberra, 7.45pm.

May 8: Brumbies v Force at Canberra, 2pm.

May 14: Chiefs v Brumbies at Hamilton, 2.35pm.

May 21: Brumbies v Crusaders at Canberra, 7.45pm.

May 27: Brumbies v Blues at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

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