Super Rugby 'grand finals from here on out' for Nic White and the ACT Brumbies

For the record, it was 58. But it might as well be on Sunday. And again next week. And the week after that. Because for the ACT Brumbies scrumhalf, "it's grand finals from here on out".

So long before the in-demand Wallabies scrumhalf makes a call on his future after being courted by a rich offer from Japan, White's focus turns to the Otago Highlanders in Melbourne on Sunday.

White opted not to weigh into conversations regarding his future after becoming the latest Brumby to receive an offer from abroad. That time will come. The Brumbies' stand-in skipper has earnt as much.

Instead his mind drifts towards the challenge ahead, and the road towards the final of a united competition. With six rounds remaining in the regular season he will be careful not to "empty the tank every day", but the Brumbies are intent on "getting up each weekend and making sure we unleash".

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"It's funny, this is a little bit like Europe in the Champions Cup over there. You really want to finish one-two, you get that home quarter, home semi, you come first you get that home final," White said.

"Playing at home is huge in Super Rugby. We know every week is going to be a grand final going in against these Kiwis, so if we can take a few scalps and finish as high up the log as we can, it sets us up to go deep into finals.

"This first week is pretty important for us. A result here would set us up on a bit of a run. This one has been pencilled in for a while, the intensity has gone up this week, it's grand finals from here on out."

The Highlanders touch down in Melbourne with a 1-7 record - though four of their past five defeats have been by seven points or less.

A glance at the ladder can be deceiving too. The Highlanders have only played Kiwi opposition. Cast your mind back to Trans-Tasman last year - the Brumbies walked away with one win.

The Brumbies need to reverse a worrying trend. They have won just five of their past 26 games against New Zealand-based teams.

Dan McKellar's squad has failed to score 20 points in their past four games against Kiwi rivals, and will look to turn it around against a team they haven't beaten since 2015.

"It's been great, the Australian-only competition, but at the end of the day we want to see how we measure up against the Kiwis. There really is nothing better than knocking them off," White said.

"It's been a bit grim for a while now against the Kiwis, but we feel like we're in a pretty good place. I feel like across the board we're starting to close that gap.

"There's still a lot of hard work ahead of us but the young guys who were playing a few years ago are now more experienced and I certainly feel like down here in Canberra we're pretty excited.

"We feel like we're getting close. There was a feeling when I first got back that they were robbed of that COVID year when everything was starting to go well, so let's get back to that.

"That starts with the Highlanders this week. We're pretty lucky to be having them in Melbourne and not Invercargill, so there's a good opportunity for us there and we back it up next week with a home game. There's an opportunity there but that's all it is at the moment."

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC ROUND 10

Sunday: Otago Highlanders v ACT Brumbies at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 2pm. Broadcast live on Stan Sport.

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