ACT Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen has declared he will put country before club in preparation for the Wallabies series against the British and Irish Lions even if his team's finals hopes hang in the balance next week.
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The Brumbies have set themselves up to end an eight-season Super Rugby play-offs absence with just three games remaining in the campaign.
But with a drought-breaking finals appearance on the line and no room for error, the Brumbies will lose five of their best players to Wallabies camp on June 3.
That means they will miss a crucial contest with the Melbourne Rebels on June 7, a game which could secure the Brumbies' finals fate.
Mowen, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Christian Lealiifano and Joseph Tomane will all be with the Wallabies for the first camp before the three-Test series against the Lions.
David Pocock is out for the rest of the season while Pat McCabe, George Smith and Andrew Smith are all injured.
It puts the Brumbies’ Wallabies representatives in a horror scenario of being torn between Super Rugby finals dreams and Test duties.
But while Mowen is desperate to chase a Super Rugby championship, he was adamant Wallabies preparation took precedence over a finals dogfight.
‘‘I 100 per cent agree that the [Wallabies guys] should be rested. The Lions series is massive and so important to Australian rugby,’’ Mowen said.
‘‘Australian rugby is set up so that the Wallabies are successful and that’s what we’re here for and we want to do our part. If a small sacrifice of that is withdrawing guys from that Rebels game, then that’s 100 per cent fine.’’
The Brumbies will change their training schedule on Monday and practise under lights at Viking Park in a bid to keep the squad fresh nearing the end of the season.
They secured a confidence-boosting 20-13 win over the Auckland Blues two days ago to snap a two-game losing streak.
The attention is now on the clash with the Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium on Friday night as the Brumbies aim to keep a five-point buffer in the Australian conference.
The Queensland Reds slipped behind in the finals race when they lost to the Cape Town Stormers on Sunday morning.
If the Reds lose to the Rebels in Brisbane on Saturday night and the Brumbies win their next two games, the ACT side will secure a guaranteed place in the playoffs before the four-week bye.
Finishing at the top of the Australian conference guarantees at least one home final and a financial boost of up to $500,000 for the club.
The Brumbies sit third on the overall ladder with 50 points and lead the Australian table, with the Reds on 45 points and the NSW Waratahs all but out of contention on 39 points.
Brumbies coach Jake White will inject some of Canberra’s best premier-division players into his squad in the coming weeks to ensure he has ample depth when Wallabies representatives depart.
‘‘We want to be in a position to push for finals and then a top-two position,’’ Mowen said.
‘‘If we want to be in the finals, we’ve got to be good enough to win that Rebels game regardless of the scenario.
‘‘Every side faces those challenges, but it’s all done in the right mindset – Australian rugby has to come first.’’
The Waratahs play the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
