The Brumbies were reluctant to enter an agreement with RA but that relationship, described as “a little bit frosty”, appears to have been mended.

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“There’s a lot more trust and collaboration,” Thomson said. “We probably took a few deep breaths. It’s no secret that it’s been a challenging landscape. The mood’s pretty good. We’ve been working with Rugby Australia for a while on this. We’ve been exploring a number of options. We’re comfortable with the position we’re in now.

Nobbs added: “RA has worked really hard in trying to claw back trust and transparency”.

The Brumbies fought to remain in Canberra and have been given assurances by RA they will not be moved. They were the only Australian team to make a Super Rugby Pacific semi-finals this season, losing to the Blues.

In a statement, RA said: “This transition will fully integrate and align the Brumbies’ professional rugby operations across high-performance (players, coaches, support staff) and commercial operations (sponsorship, marketing, membership, ticketing) with RA’s high-performance and commercial operations, effective from August 1, 2024.

“While this integration aims to streamline operations and enhance overall performance, it will also allow for local delivery and maintain the proud history of the ACT Brumbies, and ensure that the ACT Brumbies teams remain in the national capital, connected to Canberra and the surrounding region, club members, sponsors and key stakeholders.”

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