Losing to New Zealanders is always hard to swallow. But 25 in a row? That really stings.

But remember the last time the Wellington Hurricanes came to Canberra?

The Brumbies will play the Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium on Friday night after the defending champions beat the Canterbury Crusaders on Saturday night.

The Brumbies hit a pre-finals speed hump when they lost to the Waikato Chiefs 28-10, giving New Zealand a clean sweep of all 25 trans-Tasman matches this season.

The Hurricanes smashed the Brumbies 56-21 when the teams played earlier this year, with flyhalf Beauden Barrett the architect of eight tries.

If the Brumbies need a glimmer of hope, they'll find it in two statistics. They beat the Hurricanes 52-10 to start the 2016 season. It was also the last time the Brumbies beat a New Zealand opponent.

There's more on the line this time, and the Brumbies have lost just two of 10 finals games in Canberra since the start of Super Rugby in 1996.

Can the Brumbies end the rut? Let's hope their finals statistic is a good omen.

MCKENZE DAZZLES, BUT BARRETT LOOMS

Chiefs star Damian McKenzie tore the Brumbies' defence to shreds on Saturday, but the man they fear most didn't even play this weekend.

The Hurricanes rested Beauden Barrett for the last game of the season after a draining series against the British and Irish Lions.

Their risk paid off and Barrett will be fresh for a trip to Canberra. The star playmaker will be the key to the Chiefs' hopes of success and unlocking one of the most dangerous back lines in the competition.

The Hurricanes have scored more points than any other team in Super Rugby (596) while the Brumbies scored just 315 points and won six games.

The Brumbies were Australia's top-ranked side, but accumulated less points than all five New Zealand teams.

But the bizarre world of Super Rugby will see Hurricanes travel to Canberra early in the week and they could take advantage of direct flights between the two capital cities.

Sanzaar was reluctant to allow the Brumbies to use the Singapore Airlines direct route between Canberra and Wellington, so the Hurricanes could be forced to fly to Sydney first.

THE RETURNING CAVALRY

There will be 10 Brumbies who will be fresh and eager to make a finals impact after getting a break for the last round of the regular season.

But Christian Lealiifano looms as an inspirational play-off list if he's cleared to play his first game since being diagnosed with leukaemia.

Lealiifano stayed in Canberra this weekend instead of travelling to New Zealand for the clash against the Chiefs in Hamilton.

He trained with the rest of the squad on Saturday morning and could be called into the team to play Hurricanes on Friday night.

Brumbies skipper Sam Carter, Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Tevita Kuridrani and Joe Powell will all be added to the starting XV.

If Lealiifano is fit to play, it will be a massive moment for the 10-season veteran, his family and his teammates. He would also be a calming influence on the bench and he's capable of winning games with his boot.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham will have to decide who replaces Kyle Godwin at inside centre after a knee injury ended the one-Test Wallaby's season.

Could Lealiifano start in his first game in 11 months? Unlikely. But imagine the moment he runs on to the field with 30 minutes to go and then kicks the winning penalty. The spine is already tingling.

FIRST-GAMERS GET KIWI EXPERIENCE

The absence of big-name players made it easy to overlook to big milestones for the Brumbies in Hamilton.

Teenager Ryan Lonergan made his Super Rugby debut from the bench less than a year after leaving school, while Jordan Jackson-Hope was solid without opportunities in his first starting XV appearance.

Both Lonergan and Jackson-Hope are Canberra juniors and are part of the Brumbies' plans to build for the future.

The taste of action against the Chiefs will give them a building block to use for their career development and they showed they can handle the big stage.

Jackson-Hope saved a try in the first half, despite playing in the unfamiliar fullback role after spending most of his junior days at flyhalf or inside centre.

Lonergan showed he'll be pushing for more game time next year with Tomas Cubelli set to leave the Brumbies at the end of the season.

AT A GLANCE

WAIKATO CHIEFS 28 (Damian McKenzie, Solomon Alaimalo, Michael Leitch tries; Damian McKenzie 3 penalties, 2 conversions) bt ACT BRUMBIES 10 (Nigel Ah Wong try; Wharenui Hawera penalty, conversion) at Hamilton on Saturday afternoon. Referee: Ben O'Keefe.

SUPER RUGBY QUARTER-FINAL

Friday: ACT Brumbies v Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium, 7.40pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.