The good and the bad: Fans denied chance to watch Brumbies claim tight win

The side secured a 22-20 victory over the Western Force in Perth on Saturday night, with a host of stars receiving their first taste of action for the year.

Ryan Lonergan and Noah Lolesio combined in the halves, with James Slipper at prop and Tom Wright at fullback.

Len Ikitau, Corey Toole, Billy Pollard and Andy Muirhead all crossed for tries, with the latter scoring late to put his team up by seven.

Force utility Henry O'Donnell crossed in the final play to bring his team within two, before Max Burey missed the game-tying conversion.

The win came on the back of last week's 43-40 victory over the Fijian Drua at Viking Park.

While Larkham was disappointed to see his side concede a late try, he said there are promising signs just two weeks out from a round-one clash with the Rebels.

"We're tracking really well," Larkham said. "We've still got work to do, we've got a few players coming back for round one and work to do around our combinations and finding the best team but it was enjoyable to watch the game against the Force.

"The Drua game was also very enjoyable to watch. We've spoken a fair bit about making sure we're enjoying our rugby and finding the right combinations."

Ikitau hasn't wasted any time putting to bed the disappointment of a shock World Cup snubbing with the star outside centre scoring twice in two trials.

While he received a small taste of action late in last week's win over the Fijian Drua, Ikitau played a bigger role on Saturday night.

The centre scored in just the fourth minute, producing a flying finish to ground the ball in the corner.

"He seems like he's enjoying the environment, he had a bit of fun [Saturday] night," Larkham said. "The try he scored at the start of the game was a great finish. He had a bit of work to do, it wasn't a simple put down and was a classy finish.

"Then we see the other elements of his game, the ball carries, the tackles, it seems like he's having fun."

Avid Brumbies fans were denied the chance to watch their team in action, with no live stream available for the trial.

Super Rugby rights holder Stan had first rights to broadcast the clash and once they opted against doing so, it was up to the Force to provide a back up option.

Unlike the Brumbies, who streamed last week's trial at Viking Park on Bar TV, the Force did not set up a stream.

It was just a trial and every Super Rugby clash will be broadcast on Stan, with Saturday night games on free-to-air TV, but it's a sign of the current state of Australian rugby.

At a time the NRL is formalising pre-season trials and ensuring all matches are broadcast, rugby union is going the other way as clubs navigate a reduced Rugby Australia grant and tight budgets.

Given how limited finances are at the moment, it's unsurprising streaming a pre-season trial fell down the priority list for the Force.

In news that will give Larkham nightmares, the ACT coach watched another lock walk from the field with injury on Saturday.

This time it was rookie Lachlan Shaw with a shoulder injury, with Brumbies medical staff to determine the severity over the coming days.

The news is a major blow for the team, with their lock depth set to be severely tested in the coming weeks.

Veteran Cadeyrn Neville picked up a hamstring strain in the win over the Drua and Wallaby Darcy Swain is recovering from a knee injury. It is hoped the duo will be available for round one on February 23.