ACT Brumbies stars Rob Valetini and Len Ikitau challenged to rise again in Super Rugby Pacific

Valetini and Ikitau emerged as two of Australian rugby's shining lights during scintillating campaigns at both Super Rugby and Test level last year.

So much so that there is no chance either man will fly under the radar leading into the Brumbies' Super Rugby Pacific opener against the Western Force at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Valetini can bend defensive lines at will. Bone-rattling tackles can be heard from the top of the Gregan-Larkham Stand. He is the second-youngest winner of the Brumbies most prestigious individual award behind George Smith. But the scariest thing is now he knows how good he can be.

As for Ikitau, he stepped into the boots left behind Tevita Kuridrani and did not miss a beat. Gifted with fast feet that can turn a defender inside out, the 23-year-old is now one of the first players picked for the Wallabies.

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Now they enter a new season with more pressure on their shoulders, and McKellar is eager to see how they respond.

"It was exciting to see Lenny have a breakout year last year, I'm excited to see how he backs it up and gets better again because that's the challenge for him and for Bobby as well," McKellar said.

"They'll be marked men and with that comes a little bit of extra pressure. I'm just excited to see how they adapt and thrive under that pressure."

Round one of the regular season marks Valetini's first game since being suspended for two matches after being red carded in the final match of the Wallabies' Spring Tour.

A World Rugby judicial committee deemed the contact worthy of a six-match suspension, a number slashed in half due to Valetini's good prior history, and ultimately reduced to two games after the 23-year-old completed World Rugby's "head contact process coaching intervention".

So he sat on the sidelines as the Brumbies battled it out in torrential rain with the NSW Waratahs in Bowral, and watched from the hill at club headquarters during an internal trial dolled up as an official match.

Now Valetini is raring to go for the Brumbies' season opener, ready to unleash after being caged up during pre-season.

"Definitely. The closer we get to it, I'm definitely getting more fired up for it, if I'm picked," Valetini grinned.

"I'm trying to carry what I brought last year into this year and just try to do that again. I will try to take some key learnings from last year and keep trying new things with my week.

"That's how I like to do it, processing throughout the week and leaving the game to itself. I know everything will fall into place if I get everything during the week.

"Watching the boys going out there and playing rugby, that's when I got itchy feet, watching the boys going at it. I'm grateful the internal counted as one of my matches and now I'm free to play."

McKellar will name his squad on Wednesday. There are some points of contention but the starting XV looks somewhat settled, with a host of places up for grabs on the bench.

Who starts at hooker looms as one of the burning questions with Lachlan Lonergan, Folau Fainga'a and Connal McInerney all playing Test football last year.

And there is a little-known youngster nipping at their heels who could soon force his way into the frame.

"Billy Pollard, everyone talks about the amount of hookers we've got at the Brumbies, he's another very good one," McKellar said.

"I think he's added six kilos of lean muscle mass to his frame so he has certainly filled out and worked really hard on his throwing. He is someone that is ready to play Super Rugby now after being in our program for a couple of years."

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND ONE

Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Western Force at Canberra Stadium, 2pm. Tickets from Ticketek. Broadcast live on Stan Sport.

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