And to ensure the Brumbies are given every chance of chasing victory in their first match in New Zealand this year, they will spend almost a week across the Tasman preparing for the clash in Dunedin.

The Brumbies were left shocked when they drew with Super Rugby newcomers the Southern Kings on Friday, but despite a roller-coaster of form over the past month they are second on the overall ladder and lead the Australian conference.

Brumbies coach Jake White will take a 23-man squad to New Zealand but he will wait until later in the week before deciding on what combinations he will use against the winless Highlanders.

Flyhalf Matt Toomua and fullback Jesse Mogg lead a list of possible inclusions after both were rested from the last match to recover from niggling injuries.

Mowen admitted the draw with the Kings exposed some areas in the Brumbies' game which needed immediate attention.

''We want to win every game … we were off in areas so we have to look at those,'' he said.

''Although we strive for it, I don't think we'll ever be perfect. I think the reason some areas haven't been brought up [to improve on] is because we've been great as a team.

''When you're just off, it does come back to the one- and two-percenters. The further you go into the competition the more pressure there is around those areas.

''We have to make sure we perform under huge pressure. It's something we've done well in the past, the last couple of games have been inconsistent, so we'll go away and make sure we'll work on our combinations.''

The Brumbies will face a desperate Highlanders side - the only team still searching for a victory this season.

The Highlanders boast plenty of All Blacks talent in their roster - including Ma'a Nonu, Colin Slade, Hosea Gear and journeyman Brad Thorn.

The Waratahs arrived in New Zealand less than 12 hours before kick-off in their match with the Hurricanes last weekend but the Brumbies begin their travel on Monday.

Instead of arriving late in the week and having a travel-interrupted preparation, the Brumbies will have Wednesday and Thursday to train before playing at Forsyth-Barr Stadium.

''We were always going to travel like this, it's our first trip to New Zealand and it takes a long time to get to Dunedin, so we just wanted to get down there as soon as we could to start preparing,'' White said.

''The bottom line is it's up to us to change [our form] … we had 40 seconds to win the game [against the Kings] and I suppose we got a rush of blood.

''This is going to be a big week for us. We're going to have to make sure that we're not just talking the talk, we've got to do the deal.

''It's a tough competition … there's a lot of rugby to be played. Everyone's thinking we drew with the Kings and it's the beginning of the end, but maybe it's the end of the beginning.''

FRIDAY

Super Rugby Round 9: Highlanders v ACT Brumbies at Dunedin, 5.30pm. TV Time: Live on Fox Sports 2.