The ACT Brumbies' path to the Super Rugby finals opened up on Friday night when the NSW Waratahs failed in their Auckland mission, paving the way for the Canberra team to lock in a play-off berth on Saturday night.
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The Waratahs couldn't find a killer blow against the Auckland Blues, losing 34-28 at Eden Park but still walking away with a bonus point that temporarily puts them at the top of the Australian conference.
It's potentially the most dangerous result for the Brumbies who know they only need to match that result – a bonus-point loss – to advance to the finals.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said anything less than a win was unacceptable as his side tries to stay alive in the pursuit of a drought-breaking title.
If the Brumbies can scrape through to the play-offs by securing a losing bonus point, their title credentials will take a major hit.
The Waratahs engaged in a see-saw shoot-out against the Blues but couldn't snatch victory in the dying minutes despite getting within the seven-points required to get the bonus point.
If the Brumbies and Waratahs finish level on the ladder, the Brumbies will get Australia's guaranteed play-off spot because they've won more games this season.
"There's plenty of motivation because plenty of guys are leaving, this is a special bunch and we want to put on our best performance as possible," Larkham said.
"This is just another one in the string of games. There was obviously interest in [the Waratahs game] whether the boys watched it or not.
"They'll know what the result was, it's pretty simple. We just have to match the result of the Waratahs and the importance is on winning the game, but we want to be better than we were last week."
If the Brumbies secure a finals berth, they will play at Canberra Stadium at 6pm on Friday after Super Rugby officials juggled scheduling to accommodate NRL games at the venue on Saturday.
The Brumbies have tried to avoid crunching numbers and scenarios as they put all of their focus into the Western Force.
"We've been in this situation before in the last few years and if you look too much at other results, you take your eyes off what's important," said Brumbies co-captain Stephen Moore.
"We haven't spoken about other results or other teams too much. I'm pretty comfortable that the boys are focused on this game."
The Force has sacked coach Michael Foley, while star Dane Haylett-Petty was fined $5000 for allegedly urinating in a hotel hallway in South Africa. Force captain Pek Cowan was also fined $5000 for breaking team curfew.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 17
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Western Force at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Brumbies team: 15. Aidan Toua, 14. Nigel Ah Wong, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Matt Toomua, 11. James Dargaville, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 8 Michael Wells, 7. Jarrad Butler, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ruan Smith, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. Allan Alaalatoa, 18. Ben Alexander, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Tom Staniforth, 21. Joe Powell, 22. Andrew Smith, 23. Lausii Taliauli.
Force team: 15. Dane Haylett-Petty, Marcel Brache, Ben Tapuai, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. Luke Morahan, 10. Jono Lance, 9. Ian Prior. 8. Richard Hardwick, 7. Chris Alcock, 6. Brynard Stander, 5. Rory Walton, 4. Ross Haylett-Petty, 3. Guy Millar, 2. Harry Scoble, 1. Pek Cowan. Reserves: 16. Anaru Rangi, 17. Francois van Wyk, 18. Jermaine Ainsley, 19. Matt Philip, 20. Kane Koteka, 21. Ryan Louwrens, 22. Peter Grant, 23. Semisi Masirewa.
