The first one wasn't to be. Their first foray into enemy territory ended in a heartbreaking Super Rugby AU final defeat in Brisbane.

Their second marked a shattering two-point loss to the Canterbury Crusaders in round one of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in Christchurch on Saturday night.

There's a good chance you hear something similar next week leading into a clash with the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton. Granted, at some point you've got to get that famous win, but those comments wouldn't seem so out of place.

It looms as a tall order given Australian sides occupy the bottom five lines of betting, with their Kiwi rivals all more fancied as a chance to lift the trophy. But the Brumbies have a reason for hope - last year they went to Hamilton and burned the fortress down.

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You wonder if the Queensland Reds were still feeling the effects of a Super Rugby AU final-winning hangover when they conceded 40 points in Dunedin.

The NSW Waratahs put on 48 points at home but still leaked 64 to leave the club staring down the barrel of their equal worst losing streak in history. The Brumbies though, may have redefined the competition.

"We didn't come here for a close loss, we came here to win. The Reds were still celebrating on Monday, it's a difficult win for them because they had to back up on a six-day turnaround," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said following the Crusaders clash.

"I think there's got to be a week in between competitions. The Waratahs did a lot of good things last night as well, they scored a lot of points but unfortunately they conceded a few as well, but they'll sort that out.

"All I can worry about is Brumbies, and understand we came here to win tonight. Now we'll go to Hamilton, we'll go to Auckland, and we expect to get it done."

Waratahs interim coach Chris Whitaker didn't pull any punches when he declared "it's not going to get any easier" for the rest of the campaign.

Whitaker was talking about the Waratahs, but the sentiment rings true for all five Australian sides given those opening night results came against Super Rugby Aotearoa's lowest ranked teams.

The Brumbies at least have the competition's most daunting road trip behind them. But their finals hopes in a condensed campaign will hinge on the next fortnight.

Away games in Hamilton and Auckland round out a brutal initiation to the Trans-Tasman competition before the Brumbies return to Canberra Stadium next month.

A clash with the Chiefs will hold little demons for McKellar's troops. Little more than 12 months ago they left more than 10,000 Chiefs fans stunned when they toppled their team on their home turf.

"We traditionally play pretty well in Hamilton, going back to 2013 we were six or seven minutes away from winning the grand final there. We won there last year," McKellar said.

"We'll recover well. The boys will be sore after that game, have a good week of training, and turn up on Saturday night looking to get a result."

Results in the pre-coronavirus era seem a lifetime ago, but it gives the Brumbies something to draw on. Belief is a funny thing.

AT A GLANCE

Super Rugby Trans-Tasman round one: CANTERBURY CRUSADERS 31 (Ethan Blackadder, Richie Mo'unga, David Havili, Brendon O'Connor, Cullen Grace tries; Mo'unga 3 conversions) bt ACT BRUMBIES 29 (Scott Sio, Irae Simone, Tom Banks, Rob Valetini tries; Noah Lolesio 3 conversions; Lolesio penalty) at Christchurch Stadium.