The Brumbies are set to recall veterans Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander after limping back to Canberra after a loss to the Highlanders 23-10 in New Zealand on Saturday night.

It was the Brumbies' fourth loss in six games and was made even tougher to swallow after the NSW Waratahs drew level with them on the ladder to set up a mouth-watering Australian-conference battle.

The mid-season drama has been compounded by off-field issues that led to chief executive Michael Jones agreeing to take a payout after more than a month of infighting among the Brumbies board.

The Melbourne Rebels lead the Australian conference on 23 points while the Waratahs have rocketed back into contention with a shock win in South Africa to put them level with the Brumbies on 21 points.

It makes the Brumbies' clash against the Pretoria Bulls in Canberra on Friday night a potential make or break match as the Waratahs and Rebels jostle for positions.

The Brumbies' championship ambitions have faded in recent weeks, losing four of their past six games – three of those to New Zealand teams – as they fight to stay alive in the competition.

"There are things we need to work on and seek improvement from every individual," said Brumbies co-captain Christian Lealiifano.

"We've got confidence within our squad and our group, absolutely we can dig ourselves out of anything.

"There are still a lot of games to go. We have to take it a game at a time but we're confident in the group we have and the mentality that we're taking forward.

"The challenge is to rebound and see the reaction. We've had opportunities … all we can do is roll the sleeves up and get back on the horse. We can't gloss over the things we need to work on though."

The Brumbies threw everything they had at the defending champion Highlanders, dominating possession, momentum and territory in a slog in the deep south of New Zealand.

The Highlanders made 234 tackles in a superb defensive display, the Brumbies made just 74 tackles.

The Brumbies controlled the ball well in wet conditions but lacked the clinical edge to capitalise on their dominance.

Moore missed the clash with a calf injury while Alexander was rested.

Both are expected to return to play the Bulls at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.

"We had opportunities to score, but we dropped the ball," said coach Stephen Larkham.

"I can't fault the effort, it was one of the better teams I've seen them play. We did something similar last year with a slump and it was because of injury.

"The new guys we brought in were absolutely superb. We have to have the same attitude, we need to get our preparation right. I was really proud of our performance.

"But there's no magical formula or tricks, we have to find a way to get the result to fall our way."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND 11

Friday: ACT Brumbies v Pretoria Bulls at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2. Tickets available from Ticketek.