Andy Muirhead hopes Brumbies' new Indigenous jersey for clash games creates genuine pathway

Most of all, he wants Indigenous people to see a rugby pathway. Yes, beating the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch is crucial, but his long-term mission to breakdown barriers is more important.

"I want to try to get more [Indigenous] players at the top level of the game and show them there is a genuine pathway," Muirhead said with the new jersey in his hands.

"We've had four or five come in the last 12 months and do a pre-season with us, and you'll probably see them in a Brumbies jersey soon.

"If there's more Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders playing on TV, young kids see a genuine pathway rather than having one or two players every weekend.

"I couldn't be prouder of the club and how they're handling things at the moment, trying to put more Indigenous boys into our program and getting some younger guys into rugby and steering them away from rugby league. This is another step in the right direction."

The Brumbies will roll out a new-look Indigenous jersey - designed by Wiradjuri man Jayden McLachlan - for the first time this weekend as they aim to snap a long-standing drought against the Crusaders.

The circle in the middle on the front of the jerseys represents the squad surrounded by 10 hands, which is a nod to the Brumbies' past Indigenous players while the wedge-tailed eagle is on the back.

Perhaps the most significant step is moving beyond a one-off Indigenous round jersey. The Brumbies will wear the same design on warm-up shirts before games, and the players voted to wear it in every match where there is a clash of jersey colours and styles.

The playing group's decision was a proud moment for Muirhead, who has been juggling his own rugby career with helping develop the club's Indigenous participation and pathways program.

"The boys are loving [the jersey]. I'm pretty stoked we get to finally put it on," Muirhead said.

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Muirhead's off-field pursuits are working hand in hand with his on-field goals, bagging a try-scoring double in a 62-36 win last weekend to take his season tally to four.

He has started every match and looms as a crucial back-line cog for the showdown with the Crusaders as the Brumbies consider resting a group of Test stars.

He has been on the Wallabies' radar for the past two years but hasn't been able to crack the Test side. It's unclear if he's in Eddie Jones' plans, but it doesn't really matter because Muirhead has vowed to keep doing the same reliable things every week in Canberra.

The 29-year-old has formed a sneaky combination with Ryan Lonergan after the pair worked together to catch the Moana Pasifika defence napping last weekend.

Lonergan took a quick tap and found an unmarked Muirhead, who strolled over the line to score at a crucial stage of the game.

It followed their round-one magic act, when Lonergan caught the NSW Waratahs asleep and sent a cross-field kick to an unaware Muirhead, who scored untouched.

"We got lucky with the first one, but on the weekend we were on the same page," Muirhead said.

"He's a pretty smart footballer and is always looking for those easy points or gain lines for players. We just looked up and realised there was space.

"We're trying to play an exciting brand of rugby ... we'll do our bit to try to get as many fans to the games as possible. [But] I think I've hit my try quota for the year, it's been surprising."

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