ACT Brumbies lock Sam Carter says his Super Rugby club's off-field dramas are not the reason for their recent heavy defeats against New Zealand powerhouses Waikato Chiefs and Canterbury Crusaders.
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And his coach Stephen Larkham backs Australia having five Super Rugby teams, despite all the Australian provinces struggling against Kiwi opponents.
The Brumbies have been embroiled in front-office drama with chief executive Michael Jones and the board having a running court-room battle over Jones' position, which resumes in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday morning.
It's coincided with a dip in the club's on-field performances – they have lost two of their past three games, including back-to-back record home defeats, firstly to the Chiefs and then to the Crusaders on Sunday.
But Carter said the on-field and the off-field weren't linked.
"Whats going on behind the scenes doesn't really affect us too much. We're the team, that [off-field stuff has] got nothing to with rugby. We've just got to get out on the park and actually play," he said.
"That's what we're paid to do and that's what we're going to do this week.
"Me personally, I don't really think about it too much, I've got nothing to do with it. I just train and play."
Carter said the Crusaders loss was largely due to the Brumbies' errors, something he was confident could be easily rectified on the training track.
He admitted they faced a "tough trip to New Zealand", where they come up against the reigning Super Rugby champion Highlanders in Invercargill on Saturday.
The 26-year-old said the Brumbies faced a tough three weeks – with games against the Pretoria Bulls (home) and the Melbourne Rebels (away) to follow the Highlanders – and they needed to "get as many points as they can" from them.
"It's not too hard – it's just simple errors. I think there would've been one mistake by each player and if you add them up it's 15 mistakes across 80 minutes," Carter said.
"It's tough to come back from. You just can't do that and give them that much opportunity. We just need to tighten up our skills and make sure we deliver."
The Aussie teams have struggled against their Kiwi opponents this season with just two wins and a draw from 12 Super Rugby encounters.
The Brumbies have won one of their three hit-outs against New Zealand opponents.
It's raised questions about the depth of Australian rugby and whether five Australian teams could be competitive, but Larkham backed having five teams.
"That's the challenge, isn't it? The challenge is to try to improve the depth by having five in that top competition," he said.
"Super Rugby is an amazing competition and we're lucky enough to have five teams in it and we need to build the depth from below to continue with five teams there so we're getting more guys an opportunity at that next level.
"I definitely see value in the five teams."
Meanwhile, the Brumbies are interested in Queensland Reds flanker Lolo Fakaosilea, who is off contract at the end of the season.
The Brumbies are looking to bolster their 2017 stocks after the retirement of Ita Vaea due to a heart condition and the announcement of David Pocock's sabbatical.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 10
Saturday: Otago Highlanders v ACT Brumbies at Invercargill, 5.35pm. Live on Fox Sports 2.
