How the Brumbies have their Test stars primed for battle

That's been a Saturday in the life of the Brumbies captain over the past fortnight, having been wrapped in cotton wool by Rugby Australia officials during pre-season trials.

Now Alaalatoa vows he is ready to go hell for leather in his first game for almost three months, which doubles as a Super Rugby Pacific opener against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Friday night.

Alaalatoa is among a group of Wallabies players kept out of the action during pre-season trials, having only returned to clubland on January 16 after last year's spring tour ended in late November.

But Brumbies coaches are confident a cohort headlined by the 29-year-old tighthead prop will be raring to go for the biggest ACT-NSW clash in recent memory as officials push for a crowd of more than 30,000 at the $828 million Sydney Football Stadium.

MORE SPORT:

"We've been touched up on the Saturday on game day, I feel like I should have just rolled out and played 40," Alaalatoa said.

"It's a good opportunity for us to get a good blow. That's important, if we're not going to roll out there and play on Saturdays, to put training with game-like scenarios in front of you. Those are different drills and training sessions I've been involved in.

"It's a different focus for me, understanding I wasn't going to get a game in [during pre-season], just trying to train at that intensity, similar to the game. I've been doing that for the past couple of weeks.

"Obviously there is nothing like getting out there and that game day vibe, but in terms of ticking the boxes and how I've been feeling physically, I've put myself in a space to be in the best place possible for round one.

"It's been tough watching, I hate it. I was still involved there, running water. Everyone has been keen for round one, especially after a long pre-season. Some of our boys have been just training since October. When your sole focus is on games, you put your focus to round one.

"What a great game we have ahead of us, something to build towards with the Tahs at the new stadium, when they're talking about close to full capacity.

"There's been a lot of build up around the Tahs and what they're doing in Sydney, with the amount of experience they've recruited this year."

Super Rugby takes a major step towards normality for the first time since the pre-COVID era with all 12 clubs set to mingle from the opening whistle. Australian clubs waited until round 10 to meet their New Zealand counterparts last year.

The Brumbies meet the Auckland Blues during Super Round in Melbourne next week, and Alaalatoa is confident the ACT can match it with New Zealand's powerhouse franchises from the beginning.

"Our greatest learning from the year before that was we were in it for 60 minutes, before the depth of their squad came on and pushed them over the line," Alaalatoa said.

"A lot of our younger boys in 2021 learnt that, the impact that our bench brings, understanding they've got a job to do to put us in a position to win the game.

"Last year, our finishers were really good in that space, coming on in the last 20 minutes, sometimes 40 minutes, and being able to get us over the line."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.