The Melbourne Rebels are looking to remain disciplined as they deal with a dangerous Moana Pasifika outfit.
The Rebels currently sit two points outside the top eight after experiencing a season revival.
Coming off a defeat to the Crusaders, assistant coach Geoff Parling is expecting Moana Pasifika to take it to them on Saturday, keeping their focus on themselves.
“They are a physical team so probably a big focus for us is to stick to our processes for a good length of time, not going away from what we do,” Parling told reporters.
“Everything we do is about sticking to the processes and being disciplined in what we do.
“We can’t give them the opportunity because we know they have some dangerous players. They are a physical team that can hurt teams so that’s the main message."
Prop Cabous Eloff likened Pasifika to fellow newcomers Fijian Drua, wary of their unpredictable nature and ability to strike from any part of the field.
“They are very unpredictable in what their next move is and you always need to be on the front foot to know what’s coming next," he said.
The Rebels are boosted by the return of Wallabies squad member Pone Fa'amuasili, who will likely come off the bench for Eloff.
After facing a significant injury list to start the season, the Rebels were just grateful to get their key players back at the perfect time.
“For the team, it’s a boost just having good players come back into the squad regardless of whether they have been out for a week, a year or five years," Parling explained.
“We had Robbie (Leota) come back last week and that was definitely a boost, he’ll be better for the game time, same with Pone. The more we can get these good players back involved with the squad, it’s obviously only going to be good for us.”
