Allan Alaalatoa says the way the ACT Brumbies respond to adversity will be crucial to their Super Rugby title hopes as they brace for a clash with the competition leaders.
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The Brumbies will look to bounce back from their second defeat of the season when they face the ladder-leading Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
The star-studded Blues have been almost unstoppable this year and loom as a mighty ask for a Brumbies side that was outclassed by the Canterbury Crusaders this past Friday.
The Crusaders were a class above for much of a 37-26 win over the Brumbies, who were plagued by uncharacteristic errors and made to pay for 16 turnovers against a side that dominated the collision.
But Alaalatoa says the silver lining is the Brumbies know where they need to improve to reverse their fortunes in a bid to lock up a top-four spot with destiny in their own hands.
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"We just can't make too many errors down our end. I thought we were attacking well but we just backed that up with an error or some ill-discipline. That's our biggest learning," Alaalatoa said.
"What allows us to get the momentum back is winning the collision and we lost that in patches. At the back end of the game when we were winning that, we were on the front foot.
"We obviously know the Blues are in some good form. We've spoken about two areas there with errors and discipline. We've just got to make sure we're clear on those learnings and how we can turn that around.
"If we do the same thing next week, we'll probably be in the same situation."
The Brumbies could be boosted by the return of Noah Lolesio at flyhalf after he missed the Crusaders clash due to concussion protocols.
But they are unlikely to rush line-bending forward Rob Valetini back before the finals as they look to sew up a home quarter-final.
"When we're more clear on the reason we lost, that's going to give us every chance to move forward next week," Alaalatoa said.
"The way we bounce back off a loss is going to be huge. We want to see a change in intensity throughout the week. We've got the weekend off and I think that's perfect timing for us, for the boys to get away and connect with their family, and the staff included.
"Come in Monday fresh and we'll make sure we try to turn this around next week."
The NSW Waratahs have ambitions of securing a home final while the Queensland Reds have been buoyed by the return of James O'Connor to boost their finals aspirations, but the Brumbies are still regarded as Australia's best chance of Super Rugby success this season.
"It's a loss, it's only the second one we've had. It's disappointing. I thought we had some really good periods throughout the game and frustrating periods as well. We've got a longer turnaround next week so we'll bounce back," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said.
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