So the ACT Brumbies have vowed to stand up to the Auckland Blues in the middle so the visitors' dazzling back line will barely get a sniff in a top of the table clash at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

Taking down the Blues looms as a tall order for a side whose momentum was halted in a last-start loss to the Canterbury Crusaders.

But Brumbies lock Darcy Swain is adamant "it's not a matter of David and Goliath", confident his side can bounce back against a Blues outfit that has dropped just one game all year.

"Looking at the Blues, they'll be a similar team to the Crusaders. They're a pretty sharp outfit so we've got to go there and we've got to back ourselves to play our game," Swain said.

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"We've got to be physical, we've got to have good set piece, and we've got to keep playing the way we have been playing.

"Against the Chiefs we were really explosive, we were looking for holes and seams and stuff like that. It just needs to be the same as that, we just need to take those opportunities.

"We can't have too many personal errors because they're going to hurt us. They're going to be good on turnover ball, they're going to be good off the back of our errors.

"We need to shut down that little offload game they've got going through the middle. We can't have them coming through the middle of us because that back line will tear us up. We've got to be really physical, we've got to take them to set piece and make sure they know about it."

The Brumbies had a first half to forget against the Crusaders last week before battling back to give themselves an unlikely chance at a comeback.

Errors and turnovers were a thorn in the Brumbies' side as they fell to their second loss of the season.

But Swain is confident they can turn things around this week because the second-placed Brumbies' biggest lesson to come out of the Crusaders game was "we hurt ourselves".

"We're not filthy with ourselves because they are a good team. We know the Blues are a similar team and we know we can roll them. It's not a matter of David and Goliath, we're right up there," Swain said.

"The footy we're playing at the moment is really good footy and we're confident in that. We've just got to keep rolling and we've just got to keep looking for ways to get a little bit better every single day."

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND 14

Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets from Ticketek. Broadcast live on Stan Sport.

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