ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is eager to experiment as he looks to get the best out of their attack for 2027.
Larkham has named a strong squad for this year's Super Rugby AUS competition, including several capped Wallabies.
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Tane Edmed, Nick Frost and Corey Toole are amongst those named ahead of next week's opener, with new recruit Triston Reilly set for the wing.
Coming off a quarter-final exit, the legendary Wallaby is ready to supercharge their tactics in the quest for an edge.
"We're definitely playing around with some of our strategies and tactics that we reviewed out of the season," he said on Monday. "Some of the other teams in the competition are doing things a little bit differently and we've just tweaked some of the stuff that we're doing to see if we can find a competitive edge, a one percenter that we can take into Super Rugby next year.
"We'll be experimenting with a few things. We're certainly going to make some mistakes asking the players to play an exciting brand of rugby that they enjoy and that people really enjoy watching but it's got to be mixed there with success.
"...I think we've been openly admitting that we've been trying to play ball-in-hand rugby over the last couple of seasons. We made some big improvements with our counter-attack and our ability to hold the ball through multiple phases. That's really a combined effort over the last two years in different areas, and we're at that stage where we are a lot more confident to say that we have the ability to hold the ball.
"I think the next iteration for us is being a little bit more dynamic when we actually have that ball. Looking at some variations, looking at some outcomes from good ball carries that can maybe kick us into some better rugby that allows us to finish off opportunities better."
Larkham has drawn a host of players from the local John I Dent Cup competition to fill the void left by several Wallabies.
Vikings playmaker Oscar Shaw was rewarded after taking the MacDougall Medal as the competition's best and fairest, with veteran Moses Sorovi included after helping the Vikings to the title last week.
One of the most popular selections was second-rower Josh Townsend, the Brumbies assistant team manager making his own name with Queanbeyan Whites.
"It's a great opportunity for the players out of John I Dent who've performed all year to get an opportunity at that next level and we've got a really good mix," Larkham said.
"We always want to pull from the local competition first and there is a lot of talent in the competition this year and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they gel.
"... It would be great to see any of these guys [play and succeed]. A lot of these players have potentially been overlooked in the past and might be a little bit older and can see that there is a genuine opportunity through their performances in John I Dent, now playing at this next level. If they can back up their form from John I Dent in the Super Rugby AUS levels, then there's potential for them at the next level after that as well."
