Brumbies coach Larkham outlines midfield depth without Len Ikitau

With the Wallabies’ Player of the Year heading overseas on sabbatical, there are some big shoes to fill at the ACT Brumbies in 2026 – but coach Stephen Larkham insists others will step up in the absence of Len Ikitau.

At 6:00 am AEST on April 24, Rugby Australia confirmed that Ikitau had re-signed for two years, which included a brief sabbatical with Exeter Chiefs. Ikitau will return home to Australia before the international season gets underway next July.

Ikitau was crowned the John Eales Medal winner at the Rugby Australia Awards last month, which goes to the Wallabies’ best and most consistent player. The midfielder debuted for Exeter soon after, impressing in a mammoth 38-point shutout win over Harlequins at Sandy Park.

When the Brumbies revealed their squad for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season on Thursday, it of course came as no surprise not to see Ikitau’s name. Tom Hooper wasn’t listed either, with the Wallabies backrower joining Ikitau at the Chiefs in England’s Premiership.

Long-term Brumbies fly-half Noah Lolesio has also left the club, marking a real period of change for the Super Rugby powerhouse. But Larkham isn’t panicking, believing the Brumbies are blessed with depth in the centres.

“If you include Austin Anderson and Ollie Sapsford, Jarrah McLeod, David Feliuai, Hudson Creighton, Kadin Pritchard, [Kye Oates] can play in the centres as well,” Larkham told reporters.

“We’re sort of blessed for talent in the centres so there’s going to be a lot of competition. Lenny was a mainstay of our team, has been a mainstay of our team for the last five years so there’ll be some really competition.

“Hudson Creighton has got the most experience in that space and has never really put a foot wrong in Super Rugby. Then we’ve got young guys, Kadin Pritchard, Jarrah McLeod who have huge potential… both extremely talented players who have got a big future in this game.

“There’ll be really good competition in that space and we’ll see how the trail form goes, we’ll see how we go through pre-season, we’ll see how the trail form goes, and then no doubt in the first couple of rounds we’re going to have to rotate those guys just to make sure we’re giving equal opportunity to everyone.”

There are several new faces in this Brumbies squad, but also experienced campaigners who add invaluable experience to the lineup. Rob Valetini and Tom Wright are both on 96 Brumbies caps, while Ryan Lonergan isn’t too far behind on 92 appearances.

Wallabies prop Allan Alaatlaoa is four game shy of 150 Brumbies appearances, and then there’s James Slipper who is knocking at the door of more history. If Slipper plays five Super Rugby matches next season, the prop will break Wyatt Crockett’s all-time appearance record.

“That’s the usual mix for us, that have a bit of talent coming through that is a little bit younger, has shown a lot of promise in the junior rep sides. We’re very conscious of the players that we bring into the Brumbies, we want to make sure that we’re bringing players in who have that potential to play at the next level, to go on and play for the Wallabies,” Larkham explained.

“I feel confident that all the players that we’ve mentioned today, all of the new signings to the Brumbies, have that potential, it’s now just got to be realised.

“We do mix it with really good experience and a big part of the Brumbies program is continuity and making sure that we keep the squad together for a long period of time. We’ve got some really experienced players there that can guide these young players through.

“But no doubt, it’s challenging without Tom Hooper, Len Ikitau and Noah Lolesio, it’s a challenging time but an exciting time where hopefully we see some of those guys put their hand up and become superstars.”