Rule changes set to be trialled as ACT Brumbies prepare to host NSW Waratahs

The ACT Brumbies are set to take on the NSW Waratahs in an end-of-season trial match that will showcase many of the sport's most promising talents.

A clash against the Melbourne Rebels to be played in October is also expected to be announced this week.

The matches are a chance for fringe players to impress new coach Stephen Larkham but they also pose a bigger opportunity for the sport.

With Australian and New Zealand officials currently discussing ways to improve the product for broadcasters and fans, officials will take the opportunity to trial new rule interpretations in a live environment.

Larkham was recently in New Zealand for a summit to canvass potential changes.

The pace of the game has emerged as a key area of focus, with time taken to pack scrums, form lineouts and take kicks at goal to be closely monitored and enforced by referees.

"We're trying to get more ball in play and less dead time out there on the field," Larkham said.

"When the ball is actually in play, we're trying to make the game more exciting by hopefully letting the play go a little bit more around the breakdown."

While rugby officials are discussing other, more significant, changes, it is unlikely they will be introduced throughout the next 12 months.

A complete overhaul of the deliberate knockdown rule is one that will likely have to wait until 2024, however referees are expected to show more discretion in the upcoming trials.

With a World Cup commencing next September, lawmakers are hesitant to disrupt the Wallabies and All Blacks' preparations for the event by overhauling the way Super Rugby is played.

"We're very conscious that it will be difficult to have any law variations coming into a World Cup year," Larkham said. "If we play under a different set of laws compared to the Test team, it might hamper their preparations for the World Cup.

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"We're really just looking at interpretations from the referee around their framework. There is a framework in place for the deliberate knockdown, we're just asking the referees to be a little bit more lenient with that."

The plans for the trial games come as the Brumbies announced the retention of back Chris Feauai-Sautia for the upcoming Super Rugby season.

Larkham is close to finalising his squad for next year, with just a couple more positions to be filled in the coming weeks.

The coach was thrilled to lock down Feauai-Sautia, confident he will provide a wealth of knowledge for the Brumbies' emerging players.

"On the field, he leads by example," Larkham said. "He's a very good ball carrier, a physical player in defence.

"Off the field, he sets very high standards so it's more the stuff he does off the field, he'll be leading those young guys with."

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