The Brumbies are expecting to face a desperate and fired-up Sharks outfit in Canberra on Saturday night, as the South Africans go in search of their first Super 14 win for 2010.

The Sharks have lost eight of their past nine Super rugby matches, including four on the trot this season, and have won just two matches since beating the Brumbies 35-14 in Durban last year.

But Brumbies coach Andy Friend said the tourists' recent record did not lessen their threat.

"When you haven't had a win, you're fighting for everything you can to make sure you get one," he said.

"Watching them last week you could see a lot of passion in the way they were playing, there was a lot of ambition and desire in the way they were playing, and intent.

"And we're expecting them to definitely have that against us."

The Sharks will be looking to take out some frustration after being denied a penalty try in the final minutes of their four-point loss to the Waratahs.

But Sharks coach John Plumtree said his men must be smarter at the breakdown to turn their season around.

"The thing with the new law interpretations is that you have to be clever with how you compete at the breakdowns," Plumtree said.

"The ball can come out so quickly now that you don't want to have committed too many players to the ruck when they could be better used waiting in defence."

Plumtree is also wary of the attacking threat posed by the Brumbies.

But while boasting a quality backline, with the likes of Wallabies Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper, the Brumbies have failed to fire on all cylinders so far this year.

They are yet to record a four-try bonus point, or any bonus points for that matter.

Friend said he is conscious of tha but securing the win first is always the main game.

"It's something we are aware of but any game where you go out and chase a bonus point before you start the game, I think you're going in with the wrong intention."

The Brumbies have an unchanged line-up for the third match in a row while the Sharks have made a number of changes to their forward pack.

John Smit has been moved back to tighthead prop in what will be his 50th Super rugby match.

The Sharks captain will be joined in the front row by fellow Springboks Bismarck du Plessis, at hooker, and Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira, who have both been recalled to the starting line-up.

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