The Brumbies will aim to keep their place at the top of the ladder when they play a crucial match against the Canterbury Crusaders on Sunday afternoon.

A win would put them in a perfect position to charge to the finals for the first time since 2004, but a loss would put them in a dogfight to stay alive.

They have a bye next weekend before preparing for the last five games of the regular season.

White started the season ready to employ a rotation policy to keep all of his players fresh and give them a chance to perform.

But having lost just one game this year, the coach will resist any temptation to tinker with his line-up to allow the combinations to flourish.

That means Wallabies centre Pat McCabe will remain on the bench and White said the competition for starting spots would help their finals bid.

''There's a lot of confidence going into this match … it's a good position to be in,'' White said.

''The beginning of the season is about making sure you give opportunities [to players] and you maybe try one or two things.

''But once you're getting momentum into the back end of the competition, you want to be playing your best rugby. The boys know that.

''We have the luxury of having a guy like Pat McCabe banging on the door trying to get into the starting XV and that just shows you how much competition there is and it's healthy.

''The more [McCabe] bangs on the door, the better the incumbents have to play.''

The Brumbies have made just one change to their starting XV for the clash with the Crusaders.

Prop Dan Palmer returns after getting over a niggling foot problem and is a vital addition in what is expected to be a brutal scrum contest.

Rising star Scott Sio moves to the bench while injured duo Andrew Smith and Scott Fardy are on track to be available for selection after the bye.

The Crusaders are in Canberra for the first time since 2009 and will renew a rivalry which dominated the early 2000s in Super Rugby.

The Brumbies and Crusaders squared off in three finals between 2000 and 2004 with the Canterbury-based side winning two.

Palmer is widely regarded as one of Australia's best scrummagers.

His technical nous will come in handy against a Crusaders front row boasting almost 300 Super Rugby caps.

The Brumbies' front row will have to be on top form.

Palmer is in contention for a Wallabies call-up to the British and Irish Lions series while loose-head prop Ben Alexander and hooker Stephen Moore are certainties to be included in the Test squad.

''This is obviously a massive game in our season, a pivotal game, and we're treating it that way,'' Palmer said.

''The Crusaders will offer a lot of threats across the park so we haven't targeted any specific area.

''We're happy with our [front-row] depth and we know we've got four blokes who can step up and play in any game … I don't think every team is in the position to say they've got that.''

Alexander has been rotating between both sides of the scrum.

In the past he's played exclusively as a loose-head for the Brumbies before switching to the No.3 jersey for the Wallabies.

The Brumbies forward pack smashed the Western Force last weekend, but the Crusaders present a tougher task.

Alexander said the battle of the set-piece would be crucial to the Brumbies' hopes of victory.

''We want to be the best side in the competition and you've got to beat everyone [to get there],'' Alexander said.

''When you get set-piece opportunities you have to make sure you get clean ball to the backs and the Crusaders have been the best at disrupting the scrum and lineout.

''If we want to give guys like Henry Speight, Joe Tomane and Jesse Mogg the ball in space, we have to make sure our set-piece is spot on … this will be a massive challenge.''