The ACT Brumbies say they are ready to draw a line in the sand against New Zealand teams, adamant they won't be weighed down by a Kiwi hoodoo hanging over their heads.
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The Brumbies will attempt to break an eight-match losing streak in trans-Tasman contests when they play the Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
But more importantly it's a chance to restore the dented pride of Australian rugby after losing 36 of the past 40 matches against New Zealand sides since the start of last year.
That diabolical record includes 14 consecutive losses against Kiwi teams to start the 2017 season.
Brumbies skipper Sam Carter said the players had no fear of playing against the Blues, despite the last-placed Kiwi team being level with the Canberra franchise on competition points.
The Blues will unleash cross-code weapon Sonny Bill Williams in the clash, who has never lost a Super Rugby match against the Brumbies.
"We go out to win every match but this is a big game for us," Carter said.
"We've highlighted it and we want to put a good game out there. We've focused on it being just another game, nothing to do with previous records or results.
"It is the Blues and we've had a good rivalry with them in the past. I've got no doubt it won't be any different this time, they need the win just as much as us."
The Brumbies have won just one of their past nine games against New Zealand teams. That win was against the Wellington Hurricanes in round one last year.
But the Hurricanes got their revenge last week when they demolished the Brumbies in the second half to cruise to a 56-21 win.
Carter said the Brumbies had learned their lessons from a second-half capitulation and were determined to make amends in what looms as a season-defining contest in Canberra.
The Brumbies have lost their past two games in a row and are fighting to avoid a hat-trick of defeats for the first time since 2011.
Losing to the Blues would blow the Australian conference wide open and erode the Brumbies' early-season dominance in a tight battle.
"We've got to pick and choose when we find our space, but we need our basics right as well," said Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham.
"We've identified a few of their threats, we just want to get as much pressure on as possible. We need to be clinical in certain areas of our game.
"We've spent a lot of time on [beating New Zealand sides], we identified that in our review of last season. We had difficulty beating them last year so we've focused on the tactics in beating them, so it's about being more clinical."
The Brumbies have conceded 40 points or more in four of their eight losses in a row against New Zealand teams.
Larkham has given the players a licence to attack whenever they see opportunities, but conceded they need to find a balance between taking risks and using smart tactics.
"If we're going going to beat New Zealand teams, we need to build pressure and hold the ball," Carter said.
"We need composure ... we need to be better at controlling the game and stop making those silly mistakes. If we play the way we want to, we'll get a good result.
"The Blues are known for being ruthless with any small opportunities so we have to better at that. The little moments have been letting us down, but we've focused on fixing that."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 10
Sunday: ACT Brumbies v Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Brumbies team: 15. Tom Banks, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Andrew Smith, 11. James Dargaville, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 9. Joe Powell, 8. Lolo Fakaosilea, 7. Chris Alcock, 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Rory Arnold, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 1. Nic Mayhew. Reserves: 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Ben Alexander, 18. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Jarrad Butler, 21. De Wet Roos, 22. Jordan Jackson-Hope, 23. Aidan Toua.
Blues team: 15. Michael Collins, 14. Matt Duffie, 13. George Moala, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Piers Francis, 9. Augustine Pulu, 8. Akira Ioane, 7. Blake Gibson, 6. Steven Luatua, 5. Scott Scrafton, 4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 2. James Parsons, 1. Pauliasi Manu. Reserves: 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19. Leighton Price, 20. Murphy Taramai, 21. Billy Guyton, 22. Bryn Gatland, 23. Melani Nanai.
THE NEW ZEALAND HOODOO
Round 6, 2016: Waikato Chiefs 48 bt Brumbies 23
Round 9, 2016: Canterbury Crusaders 40 bt Brumbies 14
Round 10, 2016: Otago Highlanders 23 bt Brumbies 10
Round 16, 2016: Auckland Blues 40 bt Brumbies 15
Quarter final, 2016: Otago Highlanders 15 bt Brumbies 9
Round 1, 2017: Canterbury Crusaders 17 bt Brumbies 13
Round 5, 2017: Otago Highlanders 18 bt Brumbies 13
Round 9, 2017: Wellington Hurricanes 56 bt Brumbies 21
