The ACT Brumbies will attempt to repair a damaged fortress in their last home game, determined to win back to back games in Canberra for the first time in two years and prove "rugby is on the way back".
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The mid-year break for international rugby sucked all of the momentum out of the Brumbies on and off the field after a form resurgence and a push to connect with disgruntled ACT and Australian rugby fans.
Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle was in Canberra earlier this week to give the Brumbies and board members a overview of the state of the game.
Rugby in Canberra has taken a significant hit in recent years, with the Brumbies needing to attract a crowd of 12,000 to avoid recording their worst average attendance figures in Super Rugby history.
Club officials are hoping the impressive crowds for the Wallabies' Tests in June have reignited interest in the game and people will return to the Canberra Stadium stands for the clash against the Wellington Hurricanes.
The Brumbies average attendance has dropped to 8615 this season, with Australian franchises and Super Rugby as a sport struggling to build interest. It's the lowest crowd figures since numbers dipped to 8971 in 1998.
Super Rugby crowds have dropped across the board by 24.67 per cent in the past two years, with only four teams managing to increase attendances. All four of those teams were from New Zealand.
But Brumbies chief executive Michael Thomson was confident there was a fresh wave of support and hoped winning the last home game of the year would be a building block for the 2019 campaign.
"We feel like there's been more goodwill to rugby in the last little while," Thomson said.
"We didn't get to our crowd target of 15,000 for our last home game [against the Sunwolves], but we had a good and engaged crowd there. We want to continue that.
"Off the back of a sell-out for the Wallabies game in Sydney last week ... I think there's no doubt a large supporter base for the Brumbies and rugby in general.
"We're seeing it at [local rugby], our participation numbers are up again for the third year in a row. It's just about converting that interest into support at the stadium.
"I think rugby is on the way back. But there is still a lot of work to do and we've got to do the right thing by fans, members and supporters."
The Brumbies went all-out with fan activations for their game against the Sunwolves, pledging to donate $15,000 to charity if they hit their crowd target of 15,000.
They fell short, but they are set to donate more than $9000 to three charities at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
Foundation members will be invited on to the field to form a tunnel for the players before the game and members who have attended every game this year will also be acknowledged.
The club also offered a "bring a friend for free" online deal to members this week in the hope of casting a wide net to boost crowd numbers.
The players want to repay the fans with a win to end the year in the capital as they fight to stay alive in an unlikely race to the play-offs.
The team hasn't won back to back games in Canberra since 2016 and have stumbled on home turf this year, winning just three of seven matches.
"It would be massive [to win this at home], just to repay the faith for the fans who have turned up to support us," said prop Scott Sio.
"I think it's huge. For us, we had a goal of trying to win every game at home [this year]. It didn't quite come out for us, but to finish the last game with a win would be really big for us."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 17
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Wellington Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Brumbies: 15. Tom Banks, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Kyle Godwin, 11. Andy Muirhead, 10. Christian Lealiifano (c), 9. Joe Powell, 8. Isi Naisarani, 7. David Pocock, 6. Tom Cusack, 5. Blake Enever, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Folau Faingaa, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Connal McInerney, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Richie Arnold, 20. Darcy Swain, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Wharenui Hawera, 23. Lausii Taliauli.
Hurricanes: 15. Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14. Julian Savea, 13. Jordie Barrett, 12. Ngani Laumape, 11. Ben Lam, 10. Jackson Garden-Bachop, 9. TJ Perenara (c), 8. Gareth Evans, 7. Sam Henwood, 6. Reed Prinsep, 5. Sam Lousi, 4. Michael Fatialofa, 3. Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2. Ricky Riccitelli, 1. Toby Smith. Reserves: 16. James O'Reilly, 17. Chris Eves, 18. Marcel Renata, 19. Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20. Blade Thomson, 21. Jamie Booth, 22. Ihaia West, 23. Wes Goosen.
