ACT Brumbies ready to ice the deal after opting for unconventional recuperation practices

WE’VE heard of easing into a long season but pitchside swimming pools?

Henry Speight takes on the defence in the trial match between the Brumbies and the ACT XV.

WE’VE heard of easing into a long season but pitchside swimming pools? Should Brumbies fans be worried things are getting a bit NBA down in Canberra?

It looked like it on Saturday night when Brumbies players enjoyed a blow-up pool as a novel replacement for a subs bench at Viking Park.

The pool was - in truth - all about recuperation, not relaxation; with players using the icy water inside for instant recovery purposes on a hot evening.

“It was just an option for guys at half-time and full-time … to try and cool down a little bit,” coach Stephen Larkham said yesterday.

“We were expecting a really, really hot day getting up to 40 degrees but it didn’t eventuate. It arrived today obviously.”

Speightcools off in an ice bath during the trial between the Brumbies and the ACT XV at Viking Park.

The pool did the trick, with the Brumbies winning 67-0 over an ACT XV and wing Henry Speight, who jumped in after leaving the field with a rib injury, cleared of serious problems yesterday.

A medial ligament knee injury to Fotu Auelua may be more serious, however, and scans on Monday will determine how much time he misses.

The Brumbies will play the ACT again next weekend, albeit one strengthened by five to six contracted players, said Larkham.

The strategy to not travel and play gruelling trials is deliberate, the coach revealed.

“We looked at our season and we have eight games in a row after we begin, so we really didn’t want to burn ourselves out too much in the trials,” he said.