ACT Brumbies set for afternoon blockbusters in reshuffled Super Rugby Pacific draw

But they will have to wait until ANZAC weekend to get a shot at a New Zealand club, with a revamped fixture set to mirror this year's schedule.

Derbies will be front-loaded in the first eight rounds of the season to kick off a new era for Super Rugby as the Brumbies launch a title tilt on home soil before crossing the Tasman.

A revamped Super Rugby Pacific draw was published on Thursday, with the Brumbies to start their campaign against the Western Force in Perth on February 19 before returning to Canberra in round two.

The new schedule retains the same competition format announced in November with a full round-robin and single points table but COVID-19 travel restrictions have forced a reshuffle.

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Australian-based and New Zealand-based teams will play the first eight rounds of the competition on their own side of the Tasman.

It means the Brumbies will only play domestic rivals until April 24, before they round out the regular season with six successive games against fancied New Zealand-based clubs.

The Brumbies have secured one Saturday afternoon game and two Sunday afternoon matches in a bid to lure fans back to the Canberra Stadium grandstands.

The club's first home game pits Dan McKellar's side against new team Fijian Drua on February 26 in the Brumbies' first afternoon game of the campaign.

"We should be able to come out of the gate firing," White said.

"We'll definitely get a crack at the Kiwis again and I'm pretty sure that's what everyone down there is pretty keen to do, to get a crack at them and show the best of ourselves.

"In Trans-Tasman we had some key guys missing for a lot of those games. The guys stood up pretty well and that experience, we're seeing it with a few of the young guys in the international stuff now, you can't buy that experience and they've got some of it now.

"That should make pre-season all the bit better. We had a long list of injuries going into that Trans-Tasman, and going forward, the experience for the guys who came in will be invaluable. It looks pretty positive, as it always does in pre-season, I understand that."

The Brumbies will play home games against the Drua, NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, Force, Canterbury Crusaders, Wellington Hurricanes and Auckland Blues.

But they have lost their place in the season opener, which was initially slated to be against Christian Leali'ifano and Moana Pasifika in Auckland.

That clash will now end the regular season, with the Brumbies also travelling to face the Force, Melbourne Rebels, Reds, Drua, Otago Highlanders [during Super Round in Melbourne], and Waikato Chiefs.

Super Round, once slated for round two, has been pushed back to round 10 in what marks the first weekend of trans-Tasman football.

The Brumbies and Reds have emerged as Australian rugby's two powerhouse clubs over the past two years in domestic competitions brought on by COVID-19 restrictions.

The two clubs have traded championships but both feel as though they have a point to prove in the Pacific competition. Both sides won one of five encounters against Kiwis in 2021.

ACT BRUMBIES' 2022 SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC FIXTURE

*All kick-off times are in Canberra time.

Round one: Saturday, February 19 - Western Force v ACT Brumbies at Perth Oval, 10pm.

Round two: Saturday, February 26 - ACT Brumbies v Fijian Drua at Canberra Stadium, 2.35pm.

Round three: Saturday, March 5 - ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

Round four: Friday, March 11 - Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 7.45pm.

Round five: Friday, March 18 - ACT Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

Round six: Sunday, March 26 - ACT Brumbies v Western Force at Canberra Stadium, 2pm.

Round seven: Saturday, April 2 - Queensland Reds v ACT Brumbies at Lang Park, 7.45pm.

Round eight: Saturday, April 9 - Fijian Drua v ACT Brumbies at TBC, 7.45pm.

Round nine: Bye.

Round 10 (Super Round): Sunday, April 24 - Otago Highlanders v ACT Brumbies at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 2pm.

Round 11: Sunday, May 1 - ACT Brumbies v Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium, 2pm.

Round 12: Saturday, May 7 - Waikato Chiefs v ACT Brumbies at Waikato Stadium, 5.05pm.

Round 13: Friday, May 13 - ACT Brumbies v Canterbury Crusaders at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

Round 14: Saturday, May 21 - ACT Brumbies v Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.

Round 15: Saturday, May 28 - Moana Pasifika v ACT Brumbies at Mt Smart Stadium, 5.05pm.

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