Brumbies halfback Ryan Lonergan says they won’t be caught out by the struggling Sunwolves in Friday afternoon's Wollongong clash.
After beating the Rebels in round one, the Sunwolves have suffered heavy defeats in their past three matches and have to spend the next month on the road due to the coronavirus.
The Brumbies have never lost to the Sunwolves but Lonergan said the Brumbies wouldn’t be fooled by the Japanese team's record this season as they prepare for Friday's match.
“Their results in the last couple of weeks don't really reflect how good of a footy team they are,” he said.
“We've just been preparing how we prepare all the other weeks and definitely not taking them lightly.”
Friday’s clash is the first of four consecutive matches the Sunwolves will play in Australia after last week’s decision by the Japanese government to cancel all sporting events due to the coronavirus threat.
They will play their next two home games in Wollongong and Brisbane before travelling to Melbourne and Sydney for scheduled away games.
Lonergan said that nomadic schedule could play into the Sunwolves’ favour.
“I'm not sure. I'm sure they don't want to make excuses but I know I wouldn't want to be doing that,” he said.
“I don't really like travelling, I like staying at home.
“It wouldn't suit me but it might bring them closer together. Always being in each other's pockets so it could work out for the better but w'ell see what happens.”
Wollongong’s WIN Stadium will be as much an unknown for the Brumbies as it is for their Japanese opponents, having never played there before.
Asked whether he’d been to the ground, Lonergan had to pause to consider.
“I've never been in there - been to Wollongong a couple of times, a couple of holidays down there and I've had a look at it, I think it was the stadium,” he said.
“A couple of the boys said they'd played there and it gets windy sometimes.
“Hopefully it's not too windy when we're playing.”
The Brumbies take on the Sunwolves at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Friday March 6, kicking off at 2:45pm AEDT, LIVE on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO.
