Lolesio channels Anzac Day emotion with Hurricanes wary of wounded Brumbies

"That's what pressure does," ACT Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio said.

But the Brumbies have vowed to redeem themselves on home turf and send a statement to their Super Rugby Pacific rivals by toppling the undefeated Hurricanes on Saturday.

Inspiration in a week like this is certainly not hard to come by. A group of Brumbies joined the Hurricanes at an Anzac Day wreath laying ceremony on gameday eve before Stephen Larkham and his players wandered further up Anzac Parade.

They crossed the road and stopped at the Royal Australian Air Force Memorial, where returning prop Allan Alaalatoa would lay another wreath before Ryan Lonergan presented a jersey to Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Reynolds.

The scene was fitting. Come Saturday at Canberra Stadium, the Brumbies will wear jerseys with the 'G for George' Avro Lancaster bomber printed across the front in a nod to the 460 Squadron aircraft which formed part of the strategic bombing offensive against Germany during World War II.

"We got a couple of stories told to us about the significance of that plane and how many people, men and women, went to fly that plane and somehow ended up unscathed," Lolesio said.

"It's a special time for us players to really take a step back and reflect on the freedom we have today with Anzac Day. It gives a bit more meaning to the jersey and probably gives us a bit more of emotion heading towards the game.

"Hopefully we can use that emotion in the right way."

Saturday looms as a flashpoint in the Brumbies' season. Five trans-Tasman Super Rugby clashes this weekend give Australian sides the rare chance to tip the ledger in their favour.

Australian teams have won seven games against New Zealand rivals, who have won eight. Last year Australian sides managed just six victories from 30 attempts. Wind back to 2017 and the Kiwi franchises finished unbeaten against Australian teams across 31 games.

But there is more at stake for the Brumbies. A 39-point loss to the Blues in Auckland last week - coupled with a 46-12 loss to the Chiefs earlier this year - cast doubt over their ability to challenge the competition's best teams from across the ditch.

Now they have a chance to silence doubters by stopping an unbeaten Hurricanes side in their tracks.

"[The first 24 to 48 hours are] never good after you cop a big loss like that [last week]," Lolesio said.

"That's the thing with professional sport. You can just move on because you get another opportunity to bounce back the weekend after. Obviously it's not the best feeling after a loss, but we moved on pretty quickly, took our learnings from it, and looking forward to [Saturday].

"Last week wasn't the best result for us. We had a really honest review. We've got the best team in the competition at the moment. We know ourselves, we've got to be on our A-game because they're a really big, physical side, the Canes, with a bit of class as well. It will be an awesome challenge for us.

"Allan, he's obviously our team captain so it's huge to have him back in our forward pack. A bit of grunt coming back, which will be good.

"You've got Lenny coming back at 13. He brings that real physical side to our back line, that punch, and he'll be looking forward to getting his hands on the ball early. Rory Scott has his first start of this year, he's been waiting for his chance and I feel like he'll do an awesome job.

"We've got a few returns, geez, it's also nice having Andy [Muirhead] back off the pine. He'll add a spark."

Hurricanes captain Brad Shields is bracing for an ACT Brumbies backlash as the unbeaten Super Rugby leaders chase their first win at Canberra Stadium in seven years.

The Hurricanes have arrived in Canberra five points clear at the top of the competition ladder and face an outfit whose pride was dented in a nightmare trip to Eden Park last week.

The Brumbies were left reeling after a 39-point loss to the Blues and are desperate to prove their title credentials when they host the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Allan Alaalatoa and Len Ikitau have returned to the Brumbies' starting XV as they look to become the first team to bring down the Hurricanes - chasing their first Super Rugby crown in eight years - this season.

The Brumbies have won their past five home games against the Hurricanes, who have left Canberra victorious just five times from 18 attempts since Super Rugby's inception in 1996.

"We're pretty pleased with where we're at at the moment. Each week brings us different challenges and the Brumbies, they're a bit wounded from last weekend after being down in Auckland," Shields said.

"We're expecting a pretty big beast this week. Nonetheless, we're excited for the challenge. History tells us the Brumbies are pretty good at home, so it's definitely something we're excited for.

"It's huge. We're at the halfway point of the season, and you want to play these games to give you a real reflection of where you actually sit.

"We've put a lot of planning into this week to get it right, especially after being in Fiji and the travel, we've had to adapt our training week to help aid our recovery but also prepare as much as we can.

"The Brumbies traditionally go set piece. The forwards need to front up pretty well. They've got a really good kicking game and counter attack game.

"This year we've learnt different ways to win. We've got our plan A, we've also got our plan B and plan C. Hopefully we don't have to reach out too far but we're really excited for the challenge.

"A few special players with experience coming back in [for the Brumbies], sometimes that helps when you haven't had a week you'd want to the week before."

The fixture will carry extra meaning for Shields, whose father Nigel served in the New Zealand Army for 25 years.

Shields joined Alaalatoa and Stephen Larkham in laying a wreath at the New Zealand Memorial along Anzac Parade on Friday morning.

"From a team front, it's always good to have the rivalry on the field and then have Anzac celebrations or remembrance in the forefront of your mind as well. That makes the occasion a little bit more special," Shields said.

"There's an amazing rivalry on the field sporting-wise, but at the same time, the countries are bound in certain ways that other countries are not. We've got something special here between New Zealand and Australia."