The Melbourne Rebels may very well be feeling the travel blues away from home, but Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa says its an even playing field for their round three Super Rugby clash.
The Brumbies are coming off a record 61-10 thumping of the Waratahs last Saturday and look to maintain their strong record at home against their current city rivals.
For the Rebels, a tight 23-21 loss in Brisbane kicked off their campaign and their journey continues this week in Canberra where they are based.
The Victorians have not played a home game in over a year due to COVIC restrictions and are looking to get their first win of the season against the Brumbies.
"They've been here for three weeks and it's obviously unfortunate for them," the Brumbies skipper said.
"You have to take your hat off to them and and what they're doing for the game.
"They're obviously sacrificing a bit more than us but in terms of travel now, they just have to get on the bus and come down the road."
Alaalatoa said his players view their home ground as a fortress - and that couldn't be more accurate with the Brumbies winning 18 of their past 20 at home.
He said having fans around always boosts the side and the players see first hand their success has on the community.
"We're able this year to have full capacity, and we're looking forward to our Canberra community getting out and supporting the boys," he said.
"We've got a good record at home and obviously that creates a vibe around the community, so we hope that continues into the stadium and everyone rolls in."
The Brumbies skipper expects a tight contest in Saturday's showdown and expects similar historical tactics employed by the Rebels.
"Up front, we are definitely expecting physical game. That's what they pride themselves on, a team that relies on scoreboard pressure."
"They have a lot of on-ball threats, not only their back-row, and their front-row is good at the breakdown."
"(Slowing the play down) is a tactic they've had for many years, and for us, we just have to understand our approaches and how we counter that."
Australian Associated Press
