Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham knows first hand how much a trip west can de-rail an entire season - naming a near full-strength Brumbies side to take on the Western Force this weekend in Perth.
Since their now infamous 2023 loss in the west that consigned the Brumbies to finish outside the top two, the Force have proven more than a handful for the Canberra side, with two wins apiece in their last four matchups - and their last three games being decided by a margin of five or less.
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Throwing into the mix the Force's drought breaking victory in Canberra earlier this year, and the Brumbies coach is under no illusion of the threats posed by Simon Cron's men.
"Every year we travel over to Perth to play against the Force and we've slipped up in the last couple of years," Larkham conceded to reporters.
"It is challenging for us to get over there, to get acclimatised to the time zone. We've seen this year that the Force are a much better team than last year.
"They've got some really good players in key positions and they're putting it together in their performances on the weekend. We're very much focused on making sure our performance this weekend is where it needs to be."
Despite their 40-17 demolition of the Waratahs last weekend, Larkham has been determined to keep the side grounded, reminding them of the standards that slipped earlier in the year against the likes of the Hurricanes.
"Coming out of the Hurricanes game, we'd missed 64 tackles, there was a bit of embarrassment in the group and it was quite easy for them to get up for the [Waratahs] sessions because they knew they needed to work on certain aspects of the game," explained Larkham.
"All of our stats coming out of the Waratahs game were really positive. The danger is that players can get a little bit complacent thinking they're there already."
The Force have opted for a settled side following their loss to the Blues on the weekend - and are likely expected to attack the Brumbies through similar channels as their round two victory, which saw Darcy Swain excelling against his former side at the lineout.
The Perth side currently sit two points outside the top six, and have entered must-win territory for their three remaining games if they are to make a maiden finals berth.
However, the Perth clash looms as a critical one for the Brumbies as well - with the first-placed Chiefs in Christchurch to play the second-placed Crusaders, a Brumbies win will see the Australian side leapfrog over the loser of that game into second spot - which will be critical for the Australian teams at large if they hope to progress past the semi-finals.
"We know the importance of this game," the Brumbies coach admitted candidly.
"I think everyone has been talking about the importance of these last couple of rounds now because it is so close between the top eight teams in the competition. Anyone can still make the finals.
"We're in that position now where it could go one of two ways. Our preparation needs to be really good."
