A development squad prop, a sevens flyer and an Auckland import could be in line to earn maiden ACT Brumbies caps as coach Stephen Larkham's second coming puts players on notice.
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Larkham will on Wednesday name his squad to face the NSW Waratahs in their Super Rugby Pacific opener at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday.
A clean slate for the Brumbies under Larkham has ignited competition for spots, which winger Andy Muirhead says makes "you train a little bit harder to make sure you can get your foot in that 23".
Southern Districts export Blake Schoupp is mounting a case for a debut alongside Rhys van Nek, having impressed during pre-season after arriving in Canberra to join the Brumbies' elite development squad.
Former Blues centre Tamati Tua has started two trial games at inside, while Jack Debreczeni looks set to find a place on the bench to deputise for Noah Lolesio.
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Former Australian sevens sensation Corey Toole has the inside rail for a spot in the back three, with Tom Wright chasing the fullback role vacated by Tom Banks - but Muirhead is making no secret of his desire to wear the No. 15 jersey this year as he finds his voice as a leader in an overhauled back line.
"That just comes with the age, I'm getting a bit older now. I've been around the club a little bit longer than some of the other guys that are in the back three with Wrighty, Tooley, Ben O'Donnell and those sort of guys. I'm definitely trying to put in my two cents where I can," Muirhead said.
"I've spoken to Bernie a number of times saying I'd like to put my hand up [to play fullback] when the opportunity arises and see how I go there. I'll play wherever I need to on Friday and going forward to get into 23.
"You see someone like Corey Toole, with what he has done in sevens last year, he has come into XVs and he has carried that same form. It's nice that he's on our team, but it makes things a lot tougher. You train a little bit harder to make sure you can get your foot in that 23."
The Brumbies have already met the Waratahs in a trial match this year, and another two late last year.
But anyone from either club will say the results of all three games can be thrown out the window before the season proper, with a revitalised Waratahs outfit under Darren Coleman expected to give the Brumbies a real shake in the battle to be Australia's best Super Rugby team.
"It's just going back to the Tahs everyone knows. NSW as a club has been strong in the past," Muirhead said.
"We've obviously had a long off-season and pre-season since our last game. Obviously we had some boys in the Wallabies, but it feels like forever since we've actually laced on the boots. To get to round one, everyone is pretty excited.
"With Bernie coming back, we had those two games [late last year] to see how we wanted to play this year and the whole pre-season to put in those learnings from those two games. Having the Wallabies guys come back, and trying to implement them with those guys back has been quite interesting, but we've had a good six weeks under our belt now post-Christmas.
"The boys are fit, firing and ready to rip in against the Tahs."
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Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
