He doesn’t know who his next Super Rugby coach will be but newly re-signed co-captain Sam Carter is confident the Brumbies will find a fit successor to Stephen Larkham and find one soon.
With Larkham committing to the Wallabies full-time after 2017, the Brumbies are on the search for a new coach for 2018 and beyond, though Carter said he wasn’t concerned over the question mark when it came to his contract.
That appointment may come sooner rather than later, with the possibility of an announcement by the end of March.
“I had a few discussions (with the club about that). They’re going to announce a new coach in the next month, I think.” - Sam Carter.
“I was assured whoever came in would be the best man for the role so I’ve got full confidence in whoever they bring in.”
Carter said uncertainty around the Brumbies’ future was not a consideration for him when re-signing, confident the team would feature in any revamped Super Rugby structure.
“That hasn’t really been discussed too much from our point of view,” he said.
“We’re focusing on the games week to week - RUPA (Rugby Union Players’ Association) did bring it up a couple of weeks ago that it may be an issue but that’s going to a vote with ARU (SANZAAR) next week, so that’s up to them to decide.
“They’ve laid it out for us and we’ve got the full support to keep five teams in Australian rugby because we believe that’s the best thing for it.
While the Force have been the most-mentioned when it comes to the possible deletion of a team, the Brumbies have been another in the mix and Carter admitted there was no guarantee over their future.
“I’ve got full confidence but it doesn’t mean that they (the Brumbies) are not going to be (in the firing line)." - Sam Carter
“We’re just going to have to address that when it comes.
“I didn’t really consider it (when I re-signed). I knew there was talk of it but that didn’t really worry me too much.”
Any players under contract with the ARU and clubs will have their deals guaranteed if a team is axed as a result of the SANZAAR discussions on March 9 and 10.
Flanker Scott Fardy, who on Friday announced his imminent departure from Australian rugby, said players across the country backed in the five-team structure.
“For younger guys, it’s a changing landscape but it didn’t really effect what I did,” he said.
“I think, as players, they’ve got to be united and strong on what they want to do as a group and I think we’ll see that across all five franchises this year with, as players, what we want from Australian rugby and what we give back to Australian rugby.”
The Brumbies host the Sharks at Canberra Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT.
