ACT Brumbies defeat NSW Waratahs in opening trial of season

The team secured a 31-26 victory over the NSW Waratahs in their opening trial of the season in Griffith.

The club legend has long spoken of his desire to create an entertaining brand of rugby and Saturday was the first opportunity to put months of training and planning into action.

It didn't take long for Larkham's imprint on the team to emerge, with halfback Ryan Lonergan and flyhalf Jack Debreczeni directing an expansive and attacking game plan.

The Brumbies threw the ball around and effectively manoeuvred the Waratahs defenders to open up space to attack.

The team regularly shifted the ball from one side of the field to the other, finding holes and running their opponents ragged.

"It was a good spectacle in the second half in particular," Larkham said. "We were able to find some offloads with the young guys who came on.

"It was entertaining to watch and was a tight finish. We always want to put on a spectacle when we travel to the regions, particularly a region that hasn't seen rugby like that for a while, it was good to have a close finish at the end."

Corey Toole was one of the primary beneficiaries of the strategy and he was quick to make the most of his opportunities.

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The footwork and blinding speed seen on the World Series sevens circuit translated across to the XVs game and he has the potential to provide the Brumbies with an X-factor throughout the season.

The winger scored two tries and made a number of line breaks, as he danced around opposition defenders.

Even when players went to ground, they remained alive and offloaded the ball to find space in behind the Waratahs defensive line.

While Saturday marked the first chance to showcase the Brumbies' new attacking mindset, it was business as usual at the driving maul.

The team has turned the set-piece into an attacking weapon in recent years and the trial proved it will be no different in 2023.

The Waratahs had no answer when the Brumbies utilised the strategy and the Brumbies pack scored twice from the rolling maul.

NSW did enjoy success with the maul in the second half and also crossed from a lineout.

While most Wallabies sat out the trial, Larkham injected a handful of his stars throughout the second half.

The likes of Darcy Swain, Nick Frost and Lachlan Lonergan hit the ground running and made positive starts to the year.

While the Waratahs threatened with the ball in hand, the Brumbies defence was up to the task for the bulk of the contest and they toiled away late to secure the win.

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