What ACT Brumbies scrumhalf Nic White said to Fijian Drua counterpart Peni Matawalu

Which is why the ACT Brumbies and Wallabies star stopped to give Fijian Drua No. 9 Peni Matawalu some advice on the finer points of scrumhalf play after their Super Rugby Pacific encounter at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.

Footage of the heartwarming interaction went viral on social media. White was lauded as an "absolute legend" as the likes of Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui and winger Nemani Nadolo joined the conversation.

Now The Canberra Times can reveal what the pair spoke about following the Brumbies' 43-28 win, during which the Drua showed just enough to suggest they could cause a fright come the quarter-finals.

"He was just playing club footy in Fiji before last year. It's a pretty steep learning curve," White said.

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"It's exactly what Super Rugby needs, right? For Moana and the Fijian Drua to come in. It was a steep one for him last year, but it's awesome from him to be asking questions and trying to get better.

"I'm more than happy to help wherever I can, whether it's Peni playing Super Rugby or anyone. You know me pretty well, I'm very passionate about rugby, I'm keen to pass on what I know where I can. It's important to give back where we can, it's what the game is and it's just how much I love it really.

"I've known him for a couple of years. I saw him last year and we spoke then. After the game, he was just asking about the specific skills of passing and box kicks, and some drills and how much we train those skills at training.

"He's just a young halfback looking to get better and I was just passing on what I think works for me. I was just talking about how well his kicking game has come along, his box kicking has come on in leaps and bounds over the past 12 months.

"He's starting to control the game and pass really well, so we were talking about some drills that could really hone those skills. He's a good man."

White flew from Newcastle to the Gold Coast on Sunday before joining the Wallabies in their first camp since Eddie Jones returned to the helm as national coach.

The 59-Test veteran is one of two scrumhalves included in Jones' 33-man group alongside Brumbies teammate Ryan Lonergan, with the pair playing key roles in the ACT's rise to second on the ladder. Only points differential separates the Brumbies and Chiefs, who occupy the top two spots with 31 points apiece.

Waratahs No. 9 Jake Gordon was among the major casualties from Jones' first squad but made a statement with a man-of-the-match performance against the Western Force.

"It's pretty simple, I've just got to play better," Gordon said. "I probably wasn't happy with the start of the year. I was a bit inconsistent there and I think I've still got a lot of improvement to do."

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