Wallabies star returns to Brumbies training camp ahead of 10th Super Rugby campaign

The Brumbies have welcomed the return of star prop Scott Sio to their pre-season training camp, just over three weeks out from the start of the new Super Rugby AU season.

Returning to Canberra after having to self-isolate for a fortnight after getting caught up in Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak in recent weeks, Sio made it clear he was glad to be back ahead of his side’s season-opener against the Force on February 19.

“I think a lot of teams will have to deal with similar problems, so we’ve just got to adapt and adjust as best we can,” he said on Monday.

“I feel like we’ve done that, and they’ve [his teammates] have integrated us well in the last week back into training, so hopefully we can amp things up a bit this week for a lot of us that were stuck in quarantine the last few days.”

Sio brings with him an extra sense of excitement to the Brumbies set-up, because should he takes to the field at HBF Park in Perth, he will kick-off his 10th season of Super Rugby.

The 29-year-old has spent all of those years with the Brumbies since debuting in 2012, and he said plenty has changed since he embarked on his first pre-season with the reigning Super Rugby AU champions.

“They’re obviously a lot shorter nowadays,” he said.

“Back then, we were running eight-to-10 week pre-seasons, so it’s a lot better. There’s a lot of running in those eight-to-10 weeks, especially if you’re in ‘Fat Club’, you’re pretty much training everyday.

“There’s been a lot of focus on having a point of difference for each team and what area we can keep improving on as a squad.

“Trying to condense everything into a four or five-week block is the norm nowadays, and it seems to be going well for the Brumbies at the moment.”