Brumbies backrower Lolo Fakaosilea believes his side's Super Rugby bye has come at the perfect time, with the club in the midst of its longest losing streak for almost six years.
The last time the Canberra-based club lost three in a row was 2011, the season in which they last missed the finals.
But it's not all doom and gloom in the nation's capital thanks to the dismal performances of Australia's Super Rugby franchises.
The Brumbies are still in the box seat to top the conference and gain automatic qualification for the finals, but with every loss the door creaks open a little wider for their rivals.
If the Waratahs can upset the Blues on Saturday night in Sydney and grab a bonus point, they will join the Brumbies on 18 points.
After the bye the Brumbies face the Lions in Canberra before embarking on a tough world tour to play the Kings in Port Elizabeth and the Jaguares in Buenos Aires.
"This next break is important," Fakaosilea said on Tuesday.
"(Assistant coach) Dan McKellar just said to us after today just get away from footy, just have that little break so when we come back we have nothing to complain about.
"We'll get a new drive to win in the next couple of days."
Sunday's loss to the Blues came on the back of a hiding from the Hurricanes and a shock defeat to the Melbourne Rebels.
"Even though we are on a bit of a plateau, we've just got to keep finding that spark," Fakaosilea said.
"It starts from training I think if everyone is on top notch at training then we can just flow through that for the game."
Fakaosilea was one of the latest beneficiaries of Stephen Larkham's preference for shuffling his deck, gaining his first start for the season against the Blues.
He faces a battle to retain his spot at No. 8 against the Lions with Jordan Smiler likely to be available after a hamstring injury and Jarrad Butler also in the mix.
"I think you get the best out of a football player when there's that good healthy competition in the group," Fakaosilea said.
