After a critical loss at home to the Brumbies, Western Force skipper Jeremy Williams is under no illusion of the challenges ahead of the side - with the team getting to Fiji early to start their preparations for the Fijian Drua.
With only two matches left in the regular season and the side sitting four points outside the top six, the Force need to find a way to leave Fiji this weekend with a win, and on paper, with the Drua dead last and unlikely to make finals, should have the cattle to do so.
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Unfortunately, this weekend sees the teams that the field at the Drua's imposing Lautoka fortress, where the Drua have not been defeated since Round 10, 2023 - with not even the ladder-leading Chiefs able to beat them there earlier this year.
It seems like a massive challenge for the men from the West, but Williams was feeling positive speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
"We're obviously quite disappointed [about the Brumbies]," Williams admitted.
"...But we've kind of got to stay level and bring ourselves back to neutral. Whether you get a win or you get a loss, you've kind of got to reset and go again on Monday.
"While we were disappointed over the weekend, we've got some good fixes today that we can take out there and get better on during the week, and then we've got to perform come Saturday."
One of the big fixes needs to be ball retention and security, with lost ball killing momentum for the Force at critical points against the Brumbies.
Repeats of such mistakes would be deadly against a side like the Drua, who specialise in quick counterattacks.
"We've got to be able to hold the ball for long periods of play and make them tackle," Williams admitted.
"If we can do that, let our backs strike out wide and do a lot of the work, that will be a positive thing for us.
"It's all about securing a breakdown, making sure that we've got good ball placement, good cleaners, so we can give the backs good platforms to attack."
The last time the two sides played it was a bloodbath for the Drua, the Force running out 52-15 winners in Perth - however, Williams is expecting the Lautoka factor to make this weekend much tougher.
"They're a really quality side that love playing off the back of turnover - and that's something that we want to try and nullify this weekend," Williams added.
"They love playing in Lautoka. They've got such an awesome fan base that loves them when they're playing at home. They get a lot of energy from that as well.
"For us, we just want to focus on what we need to do this week to get the win. We've got a pretty energetic group, and it doesn't take much to motivate the boys. A lot of the things that went wrong in the Brumbies game are things that we can fix and we can control."
The match will be a special one for Williams, with the Force skipper set to play his 50th Super Rugby fixture should he be picked.
"I've been over at Perth now for my third year," reflected the Force lock.
"I absolutely love the club. I love the city as a whole. It's a place I call home now. It is my home now.
"To do it with this group of boys and the organisation, the coaching staff, it's going to be a special day.
"I'm just focused on what we need to do as a team to get the win. Hopefully, we perform on the weekend and get the job done."
