The Brumbies will attempt to break an eight-year drought against the Waikato Chiefs in New Zealand when they clash in New Plymouth on Friday night.

It is White's opportunity to show he can be a more composed leader as he steps up while regular skipper Stephen Moore is eased back into playing duties from the bench, and after David Pocock suffered another injury setback last week.

Wallabies halfback White has been working closely with Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham to be more level-headed when dealing with referees and opponents, as he finds a balance between aggression and calmness.

White is unfazed by the challenge, warning the Brumbies they will be punished if they are off their game against the Chiefs.

"I'm learning that you don't have to be screaming about everything – it just becomes white noise if you're doing that every day," he said.

"I'm just going to keep going with what I've been trying to do. I won't pester the referee every chance I get, but if something needs to be said I will take it upon myself."

White has been criticised in the past for some of his decision-making and letting his temper boil over in crucial moments.

One of the moments he learnt most from was the 2013 grand final clash against the Chiefs, where he failed to put a crucial penalty kick into touch, which would have relieved pressure on the Brumbies.

White was intent on gaining as much distance as possible, but the kick remained in play and the Chiefs went back on the attack before stealing the championship in the last 20 minutes.

He played the grand final despite tearing his groin in the warm-up, but he says he has moved on from the match.

"I'll never get that moment again – you learn from it and that puts you in a better place for next time. But you may never get that kick again," White said.

"Sometimes it takes a little setback to help you mature and I think I'm going in the right direction."

Larkham backed White to stand tall with the captaincy duties.

"He's certainly very aware with how he reacts ... he drives really good standards and we have seen a significant change in his attitude towards referees," Larkham said. "We've had a few chats, he has learnt a lot from [Pocock] and he's a pretty smart kid.

"He picks things up, he has been given the opportunity to lead the team and he's capable of doing that."

The Brumbies have not beaten the Chiefs in New Zealand since 2007, and White says the ACT side faces a huge task beating the Sonny Bill Williams-led outfit.

White has captained the Brumbies in one match in the past, but his tenure lasted only a handful of minutes before he injured his shoulder.

"You can kind of think that you're hot and everything you touch turns to gold [after a big round-one win]," he said.

"But you'll get caught out if that's the case. We know mistakes we got away with last week, if we make them again the Chiefs will make us pay. We're up against a completely different beast."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND TWO

Friday: Waikato Chiefs v ACT Brumbies at New Plymouth, 5.30pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.

BRUMBIES TEAM: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 3. Ben Alexander, 4. Sam Carter, 5. Rory Arnold, 6. Scott Fardy, 7. Jarrad Butler, 8. Ita Vaea, 9. Nic White, 10. Matt Toomua, 11. Joseph Tomane, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Robbie Coleman. Reserves: 16. Stephen Moore, 17. Jean-Pierre Smith, 18. Ruan Smith, 19. Jordan Smiler, 20. Sean Doyle, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. James Dargaville, 23. Lausii Taliauli.

CHIEFS TEAM: 1. Jamie Mackintosh, 2. Hika Elliot, 3. Siate Tokolahi, 4. Matt Symons, 5. Michael Fitzgerald, 6. Liam Messam, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Maama Vaipulu, 9. Brad Weber, 10. Aaron Cruden, 11. Hosea Gear, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Charlie Ngatai, 14. Bryce Heem, 15. James Lowe. Reserves: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Pauliasi Manu, 18. Ben Tameifuna, 19. Brodie Retallick, 20. Tevita Koloamatangi, 21. Augustine Pulu, 22. Damian McKenzie, 23. Seta Tamanivalu.