The Brumbies lost the last game of the regular season against the Waikato Chiefs 28-10 in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon, but will get a shot at Kiwi redemption in a quarter-final at Canberra Stadium.

The Brumbies will play against the Wellington Hurricanes in the first week of the play-offs and they'll have to end Australia's 31-match losing streak against New Zealand rivals to keep their season alive.

The Brumbies haven't beaten a New Zealand side since round one last year, ironically against the Hurricanes, and New Zealand teams won all 25 trans-Tasman contests this season in a ruthless campaign.

In an ominous sign for the Brumbies, the defending-champion Hurricanes beat the top-of-the-table Canterbury Crusaders on Saturday night to book their ticket to Canberra.

But the match that matters most will be a finals showdown and Sio is confident the Brumbies can stop the domination, declaring "people only remember who won the competition" as they chase a drought-breaking title.

"The big thing we can take from the game against the Chiefs is the resilience we showed, that will be what gets us across the line in the finals," Sio said.

"We believe we can continue on for the next three weeks. We just have to believe we can win and get the job done.

"It doesn't matter which Kiwi side you come up against, they all play a similar style. It will be a big challenge, but we're looking forward to it. At the end of the day, everyone only remembers who won the competition.

"To do that we've got to win every game from now on. It's sudden death and we're ready for the challenge."

A new-look Brumbies side was defiant in defence against the desperate Chiefs. The visitors were starved of almost all possession in the second half but still refused to wilt under pressure.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham made 12 changes to his starting XV to keep some of his stars in cotton wool before the play-offs.

Most expected the Brumbies to struggle, but the new players were brave in defeat and refused to back down despite an attacking onslaught from Chiefs maestro Damian McKenzie.

McKenzie finished with an 18-point haul and was dangerous every time he touched the ball. But the game turned when Brumbies scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli was sent to the sin bin for cynical play.

The Chiefs scored almost immediately after Cubelli left the field and the Brumbies had to scramble to stay in the contest.

"I thought it was a pretty harsh because he was retreating and the guy ran into him. But we defended well while he was off and I think the boys got a lot of confidence out of that," Larkham said.

"We didn't kick well in the second half and the yellow card really hurt us. But the defensive connection between the players was outstanding so we'll take a lot out of that."

New Zealand's dominance is an ominous warning for the Brumbies. The Brumbies won just six games in the regular season but secured a finals berth as the top Australian team.

But the Brumbies will be bolstered next week by the return the likes of Sam Carter, Tevita Kuridrani, Joe Powell and Allan Alaalatoa, who were given a weekend off in Canberra rather than playing against the Chiefs.

The Brumbies trailed by just three points at half-time after Nigel Ah Wong sliced through three lazy defenders to score his first try of the season, but they couldn't get their hands on the ball after the break.

McKenzie was dangerous all night and No. 8 Michael Leitch benefited in the dying minutes to seal the result.

"Effort's fantastic but we've got to be more clinical in the things we do around the field so we don't have to defend the whole game," said stand-in Brumbies skipper Scott Fardy.

"You can't win a game defending and playing footy in your own half the whole game."

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.