Replacing David Pocock is the most daunting task in Australian rugby, but the ACT Brumbies will adopt a "be-yourself" mentality as they call in back-row reinforcements for a rivalry contest on Saturday night.
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The Brumbies will call on Jordan Smiler and Jarrad Butler for the clash against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney to fill the void left by Pocock (suspended) and Ita Vaea (retired).
But rather than trying to emulate Pocock's pilfering prowess or Vaea's monster hits, Wallabies flanker Scott Fardy declared "there's more than one way to skin a cat" as he backed the replacements to step up.
The Brumbies have lost four of their past five matches against the Waratahs, but snapped a losing streak when they toppled NSW in a round-two clash in Canberra.
It sets the stage for an explosive match that will have huge ramifications on both teams' Super Rugby finals' hopes.
The battle of the breakdown will go a long way to deciding the result, with Fardy conceding the Brumbies needed to make amends for the biggest home loss in the club's history against the Waikato Chiefs two weeks ago.
"With our back row we just have to feed off each other and work together," Fardy said.
"I don't think you replace someone like Poey, I don't think you can. What you get is guys like Jarrad, Jordan or [Michael Wells] and do the roles that got them to the Brumbies.
"We just want them to play like they always do. Trying to be someone else is just not going to work for you. You've got to make sure you deliver the best performance you possibly can.
"We'll let the cards fall where they do. There's different ways to skin a cat, everyone will do different things to what Poey does to try to put pressure on that the breakdown and they'll try to come at us as well.
"The breakdown is probably the place where we were beaten against the Chiefs and that's just not acceptable if you want to win a game of Super Rugby."
Waratahs captain Michael Hooper will spearhead a young NSW back row, likely to include Jack Dempsey and Jed Holloway, while Wallabies veteran Wycliff Palu is also in the mix.
The Brumbies are set to name Butler at openside flanker on Thursday, but coaches are waiting to give his fitness the final tick of approval after battling a medial ligament knee injury for the past month.
Smiler is set to be injected at No.8 after an ongoing heart condition forced Vaea into premature retirement this week.
Former Australian sevens player Michael Wells is waiting for his chance if Butler is unable to play, while rookie Ben Hyne could join the bench if Butler is ruled out.
Brumbies prop Ben Alexander will play his 124th game for the club, passing Stirling Mortlock on the ACT's most-capped player list.
The Brumbies and Waratahs are jostling with the Melbourne Rebels for crucial competition points in the Australian conference.
The Brumbies and Rebels are level on 17 points, while the Waratahs are trying to stay in touch on 12 points.
The clash against the Waratahs is the Brumbies' first game since suffering a 48-23 drubbing at the hands of the high-flying Chiefs on April 2.
But Fardy said time away from rugby and each other had created a positive vibe within the group as they attempt to get their campaign back on track.
"You've just got to move on and get your confidence back. There are things that a lot of us aren't proud of [from that game against the Chiefs] and it's hard because you can't fight back because of the bye," he said.
"But we've stepped away and really focused when we've come back in. We were in each other's pockets for six weeks so now we've got an opportunity to get back on to the job and enjoy being together."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND EIGHT
Saturday: NSW Waratahs v ACT Brumbies at Allianz Stadium, 7.40pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2
