Brumbies an open book for Jake?
Brumbies centre Pat McCabe does not think that Jake White's two years in Canberra will give the Sharks an edge next week.
The former World Cup-winning Springbok coach spent two successful years as coach of the Brumbies, leading them to the final last year before moving to Durban to take control of the Sharks.
The Sharks currently sit at the top of the standings, with a five point lead over the Brumbies, which adds even more to White's return to Canberra.
However, McCabe does not think that White's knowledge of the Brumbies' game will give his side any special edge and said that the key will be to front up physically against the imposing Durban outfit who are the only South African team to win in Australasia this season after beating the Rebels on Friday.
"I don't think there's too many secrets about the way we play," McCabe told AAP.
"I think it's just going to be a very physical contest and one that we are going to need to be up for to be competitive."
White's teams are renowned for their territorial dominance and strong defence, and McCabe acknowledged that it will be a highly physical battle.
"Their set piece is incredibly strong and they kick their goals and accumulate points on you.
"We're going to have to improve our discipline and just be a lot more clinical in our execution," he said.
He said that the match was always going to be a high-profile clash irrespective of the teams' log positions.
"One at the start of the year that I think everyone pencilled in on their calendar as a big game, and that's been the case," he said.
The Brumbies' 40-20 defeat to the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday served as something of a wake-up call, and McCabe said that their lack of discipline at the breakdown had cost them particularly hard.
"There's a fine line between going hard at the ball and infringing," McCabe said.
"We were maybe just a little bit too eager and probably gave away a few more penalties than we would have liked.
"But I think that's an easy thing to fix, and it's something which we'll obviously have a good look at during the week," he said.
