Brumbies will 'find a way' against Chiefs
However, their opponents back on home turf, the Chiefs, will most likely be their toughest test of the season.
Brumbies captain Stephen Moore said his team will work hard on their set-piece frailties – which cost them dearly in their 11-31 loss to the Stormers and also came back to haunt them against the Cheetahs a week later, even though they escaped with a 25-18 win in Bloemfontein.
Despite dominating the scrums in the first half against the Cheetahs, the Brumbies' set pieces unravelled after the break and allowed the Cheetahs back into the game.
"We probably lost the hit a bit in the second half," Moore said of the outing in Bloemfontein, adding: "That is something we will speak about."
He admitted it was pretty similar to the previous week against the Stormers, although they managed to hang on for a win this time round.
"It is something we need to be better at, in that part of the game, in the second half," the Brumbies skipper said.
"Sometimes that stuff don't go your way and you have to find a way to win and we did that.
"It wasn't pretty all the time, but I was proud how the boys dug in and found a way to win."
No doubt the Chiefs will look at the Brumbies' set pieces as a potential weakness.
The Chiefs have stamped their authority on the 2016 Super Rugby season after only five rounds and this week they bring their highly entertaining brand of rugby to Canberra, where the Brumbies will be faced with one of the most difficult tasks of the season – to stop the Chiefs from scoring.
The Chiefs have already scored 200 points in their five matches this season which is by far the most of any team (the next most is the Brumbies who've scored 151 points after the first five rounds).
They've surpassed the half century twice already in 2016, including their last fixture against the Western Force, and when they managed it in Round Three against the Kings it was the first time in over half a decade that they have notched more than 50 points.
The Brumbies do boast an impressive record over New Zealand teams at home, winning four of their last five when hosting sides from across the Tasman – including a win in the 2014 preliminary play-offs against this weekend's opponents.
In fact, looking back further than the last five home matches against New Zealand teams, the Brumbies have lost just one of their last seven, a run that goes back to 2013.
The Chiefs haven't travelled to ACT and won since 2008 – one of just two wins in the Australian capital with the other coming in 1999.
The Chiefs though have edged the last five meetings overall, winning three to the Brumbies two.
However, many will be quick to note that this is because the Chiefs have been at home three times in those five fixtures.
The last eight clashes between the Brumbies and the Chiefs have gone the way of the home side, a run that stretches back to 2008 and the Chiefs last victory in the capital.
Despite the dominance of the home side on the day, meetings between these two sides have invariably been tight affairs.
Of the last five meetings between the two four have been decided by a losing bonus point margin.
A glance further back will also show that six of the previous seven games where also settled by single figure margins, showing that this is historically an incredibly tight contest. With both teams starting the season strongly, it is sure to be another tight affair in Canberra this weekend.
Source: @BrumbiesRugby
