While Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan insists his focus is completely on this Saturday's semi-final showdown against the Brumbies, he admits he'll have a keen eye on what happens at OrangeTheory Stadium on Friday night.
The Crusaders host the Blues to decide the first team to advance to the Super Rugby Pacific final and although McMillan is adamant he has no dog in the race - he is very clear on what he'd like to see transpire on the field.
"Bang the shit out of each other, I hope," McMillan said with a wry smile.
"Two quality teams. Crusaders a little bit banged up, but tough to beat down there, know how to get the job done.
"But the Blues are starting to come into some good form, a lot of their best players out on the park. So it's going to be a hell of a game, I would imagine."
On a frosty Thursday morning in The Tron, the Chiefs had just wrapped up their last full training session ahead of their do-or-die encounter against the Brumbies at what will be a raucous crowd at FMG Stadium this weekend.
The Canberra-based outfit have been comfortably the best of the Australian teams this season, claiming some heavyweight scalps on their way to a fourth-place finish, including fellow semi-finalists the Blues.
The Chiefs don't have to look far back for a blueprint on how to beat the Brumbies, having dispatched them fairly decisively in the Australian capital at the end of May.
But this Brumbies outfit will have a slightly different look about it - with the halves duo of Nic White and Jack Debreczeni having injected some serious vigour into the starting XV, as evidenced last weekend against the Hurricanes.
"They're a typical Aussie team," said Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane. "They'll dig in right until the end.
"You've got to keep coming at them. Keep repelling their set piece and their big ball runners.
"We know what to expect. It wasn't too long ago we played them but at the same time we're expecting it will be a lift in intensity. It'll be a very different game
"They've obviously got a different No. 9 and No. 10 to what they had last time and that brings different challenges as well."
One challenge the Chiefs won't be contending with this weekend is poor health. Unlike some of their rivals - most notably the decimated Crusaders - the Chiefs have a fully fit squad to choose from, with all of their big guns primed and peaking at the right end of their campaign.
McMillan has had the luxury of picking his bonafide first XV against the Brumbies, heaping plaudits on his medical staff for their proactive approach to injury prevention.
"We are doing some stuff a little bit differently, we are able to anticipate a lot better when people are trending towards getting injured and being able to reduce their load, either in training or in games," he said.
"So a lot of stuff we’re doing behind the scenes we think has helped, but you certainly need the ounce of luck."
All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa'i returns to the run-on side, as does Luke Jacobson, who was a late scratch due to illness before the quarter-final against the Reds.
The team also boasts a wealth of experience, with an average among the starting players of 75 Super Rugby appearances - an often under-valued factor when it comes to finals footy, as evidenced in their gritty win over the Queenslanders.
"In this game, you can't buy experience and what we've been able to do over the past couple of years is give a number of these players experience," said McMillan.
"The games against the Reds, while it wasn't the great spectacle that everyone wanted to see, it was just more evidence for me that the maturity is growing and we can deal whatever gets thrown at us.
"We know this weekend will be no different. We know that [experience] counts for a lot.
"Everything's in front of us. It's just about finishing off our last training well and turning up on Saturday with a positive mindset that we can go and get the job done."
