The Brumbies have instituted a ‘no-alcohol’ policy in the wake of the death of forward Shawn Mackay.

In tribute to the forward, Andy Friend’s side are keen to follow up recent wins over the Cheetahs and Stormers with a strong finish to 2009.

And when one reporter asked Mark Gerrard whether the Brumbies would raise a glass in memory of Mackay, the full-back revealed the Australians have installed a complete drinking ban.

“We’ll toast ‘Macca’, but what we are going to do as a team is stay off it [alcohol] for a couple of weeks,” he said,speaking to Rugby Heaven.

“The goal for us is to make him proud and get as many wins as we can. So with that comes a few sacrifices. Not having him here means we won’t be celebrating as much as if he was here. But we will continue to celebrate his life by winning games of rugby.”

Next up for the Brumbies is a home fixture against the strong Bulls before a trip to Wellington as play-off spots start to enter every franchise’s thinking.

But despite the run-in, proud boss Friend found time to hail his side’s grit and mental strength under the difficult circumstances of recent weeks.

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The Brumbies continued their training on Wednesday for the first time since the death of their team mate Shawn Mackay in Durban on sunday.

There will be a minute’s applause before their match against the Stormers on Saturday, while the players will wear black armbands for the rest of the season.

Mackay, 26, died in a Durban hospital as a result of complications stemming from injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car following the Brumbies’ loss to the Sharks in South Africa almost two weeks ago.

Captain Stephen Hoiles, who had been at primary school with Mackay, said on Wednesday that the shock had not subsided in many cases and that the rest of the season would be played in Mackay’s honour.

“Everyone’s doing it pretty tough, which is understandable,” he said to AAP.

“I’ve been thinking about it a fair bit, they’re the tough times … and that will continue for a long, long time.

“This group’s got an enormous amount of character, and my gut feeling is that after speaking to a few guys, that everyone really wants to play,” he added, in response to the suggestion that some of the players may not be willing to play because of their distress.

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