<
>

New Zealand Super sides don't respect us, says Brumbies coach Dan McKellar

Dan McKellar Kerry Marshall/Getty Images

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar says Australian Super Rugby teams need to earn respect from their New Zealand counterparts.

Kiwi teams have won the past 33 games against Australian opposition leading into the Brumbies' trip to Dunedin to play the Highlanders on Saturday night.

McKellar says New Zealand teams don't respect their Australian rivals and the Brumbies are desperate to turn that around.

"This Saturday night is about us going to New Zealand and earning respect as a club and a team," McKellar said on Wednesday.

"We look at our results in recent times in New Zealand and there haven't been too many times where it's been one-sided, it's just the critical moments in the game where we haven't won."

The Brumbies travel across the ditch fresh off reviving their season last Saturday night by defeating the Queensland Reds to win 45-21.

Entering the match with the worst attacking record in the competition, the Brumbies powered home with seven unanswered tries after being 15-0 down early in the contest.

That momentum combined with the Brumbies' good record at Forsyth Barr Stadium shapes as the perfect opportunity to end the Kiwi dominance.

The last time the ACT team played the Highlanders outside of Australia they came away with a 30-19 win in 2013.

Current Brumbies players Sam Carter, Christian Lealiifano, Scott Sio and the injured Henry Speight were involved in that famous result five years ago.

McKellar said that match had been a significant talking point in the group this week before they fly out from Canberra on Thursday morning.

"What happened in 2013 we know it's not going to just happen again but we took out of that game and what those boys (who played) said you've got to be prepared to chance your arm," McKellar said.

In team news, Speight hasn't trained this week after pulling out of the Reds game with a knee injury and the winger is unlikely to play against the Highlanders.