'We can beat any team in the comp': Battered Brumbies look to make amends

"It's hard to say," Ikitau said as the Brumbies pick up the pieces of a 46-12 drubbing at the hands of the Waikato Chiefs.

"I think when we're playing our best footy, we can beat any team in the comp. It's about building. It's only the second round, so for us, it's building and making the most of 2024."

The star outside centre is confident the Brumbies can bounce back into title contention - and the Western Force could bear the brunt of the response at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

On a weekend where the NSW Waratahs stunned the Crusaders and the Queensland Reds went to extra time against the Hurricanes, a Super Round thrashing was a sobering reality check for the Brumbies.

The Brumbies are widely considered the best Australian team in Super Rugby and the one most likely to be a threat in the finals - but they were beaten to almost every punch against a physical Chiefs outfit.

"I think it's just starting fast. They caught us at the start, so for us it's [about] matching the intensity," Ikitau said.

"The week leading into it, I thought we trained really well, we were on top of our detail. I guess they just caught us by surprise with the intensity and their physicality. They really got us in the end.

"Obviously very disappointing, the game on Sunday. For us it's about coming in, reviewing and then moving on from there. The boys are just excited to move on and come up against the Western Force on Saturday afternoon."

Brumbies officials are hoping for a strong turnout on Saturday after being granted their wish for more afternoon timeslots to cater for families and avoid cold nights at Canberra Stadium.

The club is swinging open the gates to any players registered for ACT Rugby competitions with free passes on offer for players at both junior and senior levels, with Brumbies officials desperate to galvanise support for the Super Rugby club within the local rugby community.

The match doubles as a homecoming for former Brumbies scrumhalf Nic White, who Ikitau jokes is "probably just having a holiday there in Perth" after joining the Force this season.

The Force are still chasing their first win of the season after a Super Round capitulation against the Melbourne Rebels, conceding 29 unanswered points in the second half as their bench struggled to match the emotion-charged hosts.

Brumbies scrumhalf Harrison Goddard says it could be an area for the Brumbies to target as he looks to provide the ACT with a spark off its own bench.

"We'll have a look at that with 'Bernie' [coach Stephen Larkham]. You always want to create a spark off the bench to create momentum and do well," Goddard said.

"Obviously there were parts of our game that weren't good [against the Chiefs], but there were also some good parts. Getting 15 to 20 minutes, you obviously want to create a spark and do something.

"I just tried to play my game as I can and try to spark something. It's a credit to the Chiefs, they were really good, and we'll be better for the next few weeks."