Pre-season intensity is back at Brumbies HQ, and with the return of nine Wallabies it just kicked up a notch.
The returning Wallabies have rejoined the wider ACT Brumbies squad this week as preparations ramp up for the 2026 Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
Among the group are eight players fresh from the recent Wallabies camp in Sydney, joined by hooker Lachlan Lonergan, who returns to full training following the injury he sustained against the British & Irish Lions last year.
The returning contingent reads like a roll call of Brumbies fan favourites and club leaders. Captain Allan Alaalatoa and scrum-half Ryan Lonergan are back in the fold, alongside the explosive Corey Toole, towering lock Nick Frost and dynamic hooker Billy Pollard.
Also rejoining the squad are players continuing their comeback journeys, with Tom Wright, Rob Valetini and Lonergan all building toward full fitness.
Adding another layer of excitement is the arrival of new recruit Tane Edmed, who has linked up with the group for the first time since making the move from the NSW Waratahs.
The returning Wallabies add further depth and quality to an already impressive pre-season group, as the Brumbies enter an intensive training block in the lead-up to their opening hit-outs of the year.
Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham is excited to see the level of competition ramp up, as players battle for starting spots in the lead up to the team’s first trial and Round 1.
"There’s positions up for grabs, and we have certainly seen that competition pre-Christmas,” Larkham said.
“We haven’t given any assurance to any of the players in terms of a starting position for the season.”
The squad will travel west later this month to face the Western Force in Perth on January 30, before returning home for a trial clash against the NSW Waratahs at Marist College on February 5.
The countdown will then be well and truly on, with the Brumbies opening their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign against the Force in Perth on Saturday, February 14.
Scrum-half Ryan Lonergan is energised after earning his break-through Wallabies cap and wants to continue momentum into pre-season. "Super keen to be able to come back here and rip in with the Brumbies again, and then hopefully go deep into the season. We'll see what happens from there," Lonergan said.
The squad will continue preparations with trial fixtures against the Western Force in Perth on January 30 and the NSW Waratahs at Marist College on February 5, before the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season gets underway against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday, February 14.
