The ACT Brumbies will avoid using redemption as motivation against bitter rivals the NSW Waratahs, but admit the cuts of a semi-final defeat are still raw.
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The Brumbies face the defending Super Rugby champions in a huge Australian derby in Sydney on Sunday, with a win to give them a potential 14-point buffer at the top of the conference ladder.
The Waratahs bashed the Brumbies in two Sydney battles last year, winning by a combined 65-16 which included a 26-8 triumph that ended the Brumbies' title dreams.
It added to a long history of hatred between the teams, which began when the Brumbies were formed by a bunch of NSW and Queensland rejects in 1996.
Brumbies captain Stephen Moore said the teams would go "hammer and tongs" at each other while coach Stephen Larkham said it was the biggest test of his team's season.
"There's not a lot to dislike about the current [Waratahs team], there's a lot to be concerned about, they're very dangerous," Larkham said.
"The traditional history … for us back then it was a number of guys coming from NSW and they were a bit bitter and twisted they didn't get a chance with the Waratahs.
"We've got that history to us. What we dislike the most now is that they're the champions, they're the team to beat. It's like any No. 1 team in any competition in the world, you dislike them because you want to be in that position."
The Brumbies are sitting clear at the top of the Super Rugby ladder with four wins from their five games this season after they smashed the Queensland Reds 29-0 on the weekend.
But they need to claim a big scalp to prove they are title contenders, with their wins coming against Australian opponents and suffering their only loss to the Waikato Chiefs.
The Brumbies are 10 points clear of the Waratahs in the Australian conference and a win at Allianz Stadium would put them in a perfect position to charge into the second half of the year.
The Waratahs are yet to hit top gear and are going into the match off the back of a seven-point loss to the Otago Highlanders last weekend.
Scrumhalf Nic White conceded the Brumbies were left shattered by a semi-final loss in Sydney.
"Any time you lose a semi-final is motivation enough … this is a huge game in the context of our season," White said.
"Redemption gets used a lot, we've already spoken about it and steering away. Yeah, the hurt is still there and some bad memories.
"But it's a new year, a new Brumbies team, we're different and they're different. Of late we haven't done well in Sydney, but there's a real confidence around the group at the moment."
Brumbies skipper Stephen Moore and former Test captain David Pocock missed the semi-final clash through injury.
Their presence will be a massive boost for the Brumbies who are desperate to continue their winning ways.
"The biggest game is to come, we knew that was the case," Moore said of the clash against the Waratahs.
"This weekend is obviously the centrepiece of the work we've done so far and it was always going to be.
"The semi-final was a long time ago. The Waratahs-Brumbies rivalry will always be there, it's one of the great things about Super Rugby. We'll embrace it. A lot of people have gone hammer and tongs before us in this fixture and we'll do that as well."
Moore also called for Super Rugby forward packs to adjust their scrummaging technique to speed the game up.
"The scrums are taking a long time, personally I think they're very low [in height] at the moment. Maybe a bit too low, I think we all need to look at it, we're scrumming at an unrealistic height which causes a lot of collapses. Cleaning it up should be a priority."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND SIX
Sunday: NSW Waratahs v ACT Brumbies at Allianz Stadium, 4.05pm. TV time: Live on Ticketek.
