![Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead attacks the Waratahs' line. Picture by Liam Warren Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead attacks the Waratahs' line. Picture by Liam Warren](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/184f89d1-06bb-4d25-b6ac-00d8d9f52692.jpg/r413_0_6000_2747_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has spent the past few months talking about his vision for the team.
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The side will play an attractive, entertaining style of rugby the Canberra community will want to get behind.
The vision is simple, the implementation is complex.
Playing an entertaining and winning style of rugby involves more than simply talking about running rugby and reliving the glory years of the 80s and 90s.
The sport has moved on significantly since then and teams must incorporate variation in their attack to break down opposition defences.
Larkham, one of Australia's greatest flyhalves, has spent the past three months building an attacking game plan in his return to the Brumbies as head coach.
It's early days, but Saturday night's trial in Griffith suggests the team will be the entertainers of the upcoming Super Rugby season.
Led by halves Ryan Lonergan and Jack Debreczeni, the Brumbies moved the ball around the field to put the NSW Waratahs under pressure in a 31-26 victory.
Once the line was stretched, they went for the kill with offloads, front foot ball and strategically placed kicks.
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In what could be a warning sign for the remaining Super Rugby franchises, Larkham feels there is plenty more improvement to come before round one on February 24.
The team's Wallabies largely sat out the trial and will only add to the potency in attack.
While Larkham is running the show, the club legend heaped praise on attack coach Rod Seib in designing many of the structures put on display on Saturday night.
"We've changed a few of our systems coming into the season, particularly around kick return, kickoff receipt and lineout plays," Larkham said. "We've spoken about giving the boys a few structures so they can get their eyes up and play what's in front of them.
"The big drive from Rod Seib has been making sure we're getting the ball to space. Looking at the game, there were a couple of missed opportunities to throw the next pass into that space.
"There was a lot to take out of the match. The new improvements to our systems were pleasing, but the conditioning was also very important to get the boys used to playing at that level."
While there were plenty of positives to take out of Saturday's win, Ben O'Donnell left the game with a head knock and will miss next week's trial against the Rebels.
The clash was an important step in the Brumbies' preparations for round one, however it also presented Larkham with an opportunity to assess the depth of his wider squad.
A host of youngsters had an opportunity to take to the field, the likes of Matias Jensen, BJ Oates, Klayton Thorn and Cullen Gray impressing the coaching staff.
"For a few of those guys it was their first time in Brumbies colours," Larkham said. "So many guys stood up and it was great to see the Academy guys come through and perform at that level."
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