Stephen Larkham to put in place new ACT Brumbies training schedule for upcoming Super Rugby season

The club legend has returned to Canberra with a desire to do things differently in his second stint as ACT Brumbies coach.

After spending the past three years in charge of Irish club Munster, Larkham is looking to implement the lessons learned abroad in the chase for a Super Rugby title.

The coach has thrown the traditional game-week program out the window, with the captain's run deemed a relic of the past.

Instead, the Brumbies will put the finishing touches on their preparation for Saturday matches with an extended training session on Thursdays.

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Players, particularly kickers, will still have the opportunity to complete an optional skill-specific session on the day before the game.

The shift will allow the Brumbies to engage with the community on Fridays, with Larkham keen to grow the team's presence in the ACT.

"We were bringing guys in on a Friday for a session that becomes a bit of a half session," Larkham told The Canberra Times.

"Some guys train at the intensity that's needed, other guys don't want to put too much into their legs. It's best to give the boys some time away from the game, except for the boys that need it. There's also the potential for community engagement on that day as well.

"It's about giving the guys a harder session on Thursday where we can train with better intensity and more realistic intensity and get more out of that than a 50 per cent captain's run."

The Brumbies will open their season with a trial match against the Waratahs in Griffith on Saturday evening. They will play the Rebels in Wagga the following week.

On the field, Larkham is eager to see his players implement an exciting style of play he has been building throughout the past three months.

While there is additional travel and a host of Wallabies players are expected to sit out due to Rugby Australia load management requirements, the week will also provide the coach with feedback on his new training schedule.

Off the field, the team will conduct a number of community engagement events and look to grow their supporter base in a passionate rugby region.

"It's our catchment, it's a fair way from the ACT but it's still our catchment," Larkham said. "We've got a lot of passionate supporters out there.

"We'll find that both of these games, the first one in Griffith and the second one in Wagga (the following week) will be sell outs. The interest in the game out there is strong and there's really good support for both the Brumbies, Waratahs and the Rebels."

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