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Laurie Fisher is one of a rare breed of Australian rugby men – someone who has tasted success against the Blues at Eden Park.
An assistant then to Jake White, Fisher returns to the Auckland fortress on Saturday as assistant to Dan McKellar as the Brumbies look for an upset and way into the Super Rugby Pacific final.
In his ranks is another who has enjoyed the rare treat of winning at Eden Park – Wallabies prop James Slipper, but you have to go back even further – a year before Fisher and the Brumbies success, to 2012 for his win there with the Reds.
Yet as far back as those games are in the rearview, both men were looking forward with hope of an upset on Tuesday.
Part of the good vibes for Fisher was the news that Rob Valetini has done everything asked of him to prove his fitness for the game.
“He trained 100 percent at the back end of last week and he was 100 percent in that session [today], did all the contact work and running flat out,” Fisher said.
“It’s just a matter of getting through tomorrow’s session, getting reviewed by the appropriate people and then hopefully getting the tick of approval.”
Valetini has been ably replaced by Tom Hooper while sidelined, with plenty of fans seeing him as a potential Wallaby this year.
“Tom’s been exceptional, the work ethic and physicality he’s brought over the last few weeks against the best in the business has been outstanding from the young man so he’s been really exciting for us and definitely deserves an opportunity for us somewhere in the mix.”
While Fisher was, along with everyone else at the club, waiting for a definitive result in Len Ikitau’s appeal against his red card, he believed the Brumbies have enough in their ranks regardless of the judiciary’s decision.
“This is a much more mature side [than 2013],” Fisher said. “We’ve got guys who have been around and played a fair bit of Test footy so there’s good maturity about what we do.
“When we’re under the pump there’s not as much panic and an understanding of what needs to be done to get back into games.”
Saying it and doing it are completely different tasks, especially faced with the mercurial talents mustered up by the Blues, but Fisher had a crack at explaining the non-negotiables if the Brumbies are to have any chance of winning.
“You don’t beat a New Zealand side if you don’t, at worst, match them in the collisions,” said Fisher.
“The Blues have skill with Barrett, Tuivasa-Sheck and Ioane, guys like that, but their game is based on the power up front – the gain line, lighting quick ball that they get, particularly when they’re down in your D zone.
“We’ve got to be ready for it. The key is to get good shoulder height and get at them. You cannot wait for them to come at you because they’re coming.
Laurie Fisher. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
“You’ve got to get that step into contact, get that body height.
“They’re no bigger than us. We’ve got a big forward pack but we’ve got to be prepared. We have to play a game that allows us to win collisions.
“Focus more on carry height, carry power, closer support, maybe try get a two on one or three on two in contact. Those sorts of things are less about the catch pass skill and more about the skill of connecting and dominating.”
Slipper acknowledged that few Aussies have a good track record in Auckland.
“But with the players coming through now, they haven’t had the opportunity to play there … they’re licking their lips at a chance to play there,” he said.
“It’s a great stadium with great fans, so they’re excited.”
But it’s not just Auckland that’s problematic for the Brumbies. Since that 2013 win their record on NZ soil is 3-18.
The Brumbies were agonisingly close to ending the Blues’ club record wining streak last month when Beauden Barrett iced a drop goal after the siren.
“We played well that game,” Slipper said. “We win one more breakdown, we win the game.
“But you can pick apart games from the first minute to the last one and there’s always areas that you’re going to pick up and want to do better. We were happy, we’re just going to do it for a longer period this week.
“They’re huge. There’s plenty of All Blacks in their pack, so it’s going to be a tough challenge but one we’re excited for.”