ACT Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa is relishing the challenge of heading to Wellington to face the Hurricanes.

The Brumbies return to training after a well-deserved week off following a brutal start to the season.

It doesn't get any easier on their return, facing a top-four battle against a Hurricanes side rebounding from a 33-17 defeat to the Chiefs.

 “It’s huge. We understand the importance of this game,” Alaalatoa told reporters.

“It was important to understand our growth areas and know we’re sitting in a good position but the ‘why’ and that comes back to the hard work the whole squad has been putting in, even our staff.

“We have a clear understanding about how to grow our game and we applied that well today through a tough session. We have to be close or at all best when you are playing the Hurricanes in Wellington.

“It’s going to be a big game but one the boys are ready for."

Alaalatoa and a large contingency of the Brumbies squad spent the majority of their bye week in Wallaby camp under Eddie Jones.

In total, 15 Brumbies took part either in the physical camp or via Zoom.

Whilst Alaalatoa admits there were some initial nerves, he believes the experience will be invaluable heading into the crucial period of the season.

“It was good for the boys to get in front of Eddie," he said.

“You’re only reading stuff that he’s saying in the media. At the beginning of camp, the boys weren’t too sure what to expect but we got stuck in and a lot of belief came from that.

“I think boys have come away a lot more comfortable than when they first worked in. There was a bit of free time when we first walked in so we weren’t sure what was going on and we didn’t know what to expect, he had a cattle prod in one of the first meetings so the boys were on edge but it’s exciting.

“You definitely come away from the camp with a lot of belief. You got a good understanding of as individuals how we need to improve and what we need to take into that first

“The back of that week was really good just to spend time with my girls and family in Sydney so it was great.”