Folau Faingaa has never been beaten by a New Zealand Super Rugby side, but even he feels the pain of the ACT Brumbies' 778 days of Kiwi misery.
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Most players in Australian rugby feel the same way after a 33-game trans-Tasman drought. So the fed-up Brumbies say it's time to end the curse and restore pride for Australian franchises.
Faingaa will be thrust into his first match against a New Zealand team when the Brumbies play the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old was shovelling cement when the Brumbies last beat a Kiwi opponent at the start of the 2016 season.
"It's going to be my first time being in New Zealand, so I'm excited. We just want to go over there to play some good rugby and try to change [the losing streak]," Faingaa said.
"I'm pretty hungry for a victory over a Kiwi team. We all know what they bring to the table as a rugby side, hopefully we can do our job.
"I feel like I've been a part of the losses [in the past], so being over there with the team we're there to do one job and that's to get the win."
The Brumbies have lost their past 11 games in a row against Kiwi sides and haven't won in New Zealand since 2014.
Coach Dan McKellar has challenged his players to earn respect in their first trans-Tasman match of the season, but the only way they will be able to do that is if they beat the Highlanders.
The Brumbies have been the closest Australian side in recent times, losing three of their six matches last year by six points or less.
"But to win against any New Zealand team, you've got to keep them under pressure," McKellar said.
"You've got to make sure you're applying pressure in all areas of the field. If you score points, you've got to make sure get out of your end [of the field] quickly and put them back under pressure.
"When you've got the ball, make sure you take your opportunities. If you've got the opportunity to maul for tries, then take the opportunity you get. Because you're not going to get a whole lot of them.
"You've got to speak about [the losing streak] in some capacity. But for us it's about backing up a good performance last week and understanding we have to be really good in Dunedin to ensure we can get another result."
The majority of Brumbies players picked to play this weekend have never won a game against a New Zealand side.
Sam Carter, Tevita Kuridrani, Scott Sio, Christian Lealiifano and Andrew Smith are the only survivors of the Brumbies' last trip to Dunedin, when they beat the Highlanders 30-19 in 2013.
The Brumbies went on to make the final in the same season and the five-year-old memory has given the new players confidence to cause a major boilover.
"We understand we need a change as an Australian team," said playmaker Wharenui Hawera.
"We understand New Zealand is probably the benchmark for world rugby at the moment. But we're excited about the challenge.
"We're coming over here to win and that's the main thing. We haven't spoken about just being here to compete or participate, we're here to win."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND NINE
Saturday: Otago Highlanders v ACT Brumbies at Forsyth Barr Stadium, 5.35pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports.
Brumbies: 15. Tom Banks, 14. James Dargaville, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Chance Peni, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 9. Matt Lucas, 8. Isi Naisarani, 7. David Pocock, 6. Tom Cusack, 5. Rory Arnold, 4. Blake Enever, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Folau Faingaa, 1. Scott Sio. Reserves: 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Nic Mayhew, 18. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 19. Sam Carter, 20. Michael Oakman-Hunt, 21. Joe Powell, 22. Kyle Godwin, 23. Andrew Smith.
Highlanders: 15. Ben Smith (co-captain), 14. Waisake Naholo, 13. Rob Thompson, 12. Tei Walden, 11. Tevita Li, 10. Lima Sopoaga, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Luke Whitelock, 7. Dillon Hunt, 6. Shannon Frizell, 5. Tom Franklin, 4. Jackson Hemopo, 3. Siate Tokolahi, 2. Liam Coltman, 1. Daniel Lienert-Brown. Reserves: 16. Ash Dixon (co-captain), 17. Aki Seiuli, 18. Kalolo Tuiloma, 19. Alex Ainley, 20. Elliot Dixon, 21. Kayne Hammington, 22. Fletcher Smith, 23. Matt Faddes.
