Brumbies home game crowds have also dropped alarmingly in recent years, to an average of about 7,500 per game, even when the team have remained the most consistent of the Australian sides.

Larkham, who arrived back in Canberra late last year after four years in Ireland with Munster, concluded that winning wasn’t enough to lure rugby fans to GIO Stadium on a Friday or Saturday night. He wants players to connect with their community before asking those people to spend money on tickets.

The Waratahs have not beat the Brumbies since 2018 and have not beat them in Sydney since 2015, when 27,000 people watched on at the old Allianz Stadium. The Brumbies also drew first blood in the pre-season trial in Griffith.

NSW and Wallabies No.7 Michael Hooper said his side was raring to go, even kicking off Brumbies week with some banter between himself and Nic White.

“I said ‘Up the Tahs’ and the message I got back was from [White] and it was a photo of me in a Brumbies jersey. I had nothing, it was the [applause emoji] and ‘well done’,” Hooper said.

“These games are like Test matches, between the two teams, it’s a big match up and they’re the games we all want to play.”

Hooper is among a bunch of returning Wallabies, joining Dave Porecki and Jed Holloway for NSW and Allan Ala’alatoa, White, Noah Lolesio and Rob Valetini for the Brumbies.

The Brumbies will bring their predictable strength and cunning up front, but this year they will also pack a punch in attack, with former sevens players Cory Toole and Ben O’Donnell jockeying for a spot with outside backs Tom Wright and Andy Muirhead.

Toole was especially impressive in the trial matches and has shocked the Brumbies coaches with his technical skill at the breakdown as well as his speed with ball in hand.

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“It’s nice that he’s on our team, but it makes things a lot tougher and you train a little bit harder to make sure you can get your foot in that 23,” Muirhead said.

Both teams will name their squads on Wednesday, with Toole expected to make his Super Rugby debut. The Waratahs will give winger Dylan Pietsch and centre Izaia Perese until Thursday to declare themselves fit to play, but have on hand young gun Max Jorgensen, Test wing Mark Nawaqanitawase and powerhouse recruit Nemani Nadolo.

“We’re confident, we’re ambitious as a team, we want to improve on last season, we’ve got a really good squad,” Hooper said. “We’ve just got to get out there and do it. The big lights come on on Friday, that’s where we want to be.”