The Northern Bulls are facing mission impossible when they meet competition heavyweights the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday.

Stranger things have happened, but it's tough to see the Bulls, based on their 53-7 capitulation to the Waratahs, coming close to threatening the Brumbies.

The home side will welcome a return to the familiar confines of Bruce Stadium after a tough South African safari in which they emerged dented, but relatively unscathed. The Brumbies will also be a little keen to douse suggestions that they are no longer the razzle-dazzle merchants of Australian rugby after a bunch of young upstarts from Sydney have been stealing the show in recent weeks.

By their own standards, the Brumbies played poorly in South Africa, but managed to scrape home with a win against the Cats and will be looking at two successive home games to rebuild some momentum and work some possession problems that surfaced in South Africa before heading to Ballymore to meet the Reds.

The Brumbies will be without Wallaby flyhalf Stephen Larkham due a frustrating hamstring injury. Larkham is yet to play in the Super 12 with one comeback after another stalled by the persistent problem. However, he now seems close to a full recovery and had the Brumbies being playing one of the tougher sides on Saturday then coach Eddie Jones may well have picked Larkham.

Rod Kafer is likely to run the show again from flyhalf after his heroics against the Cats last weekend. Also returning for the Brumbies is utility back Andrew Walker who returned home early from South Africa to be with his ill mother. In other injury news for the Brumbies, Wallaby lock David Giffin started walking without crutches this week and is hopeful of returning against the Waratahs in round eight.

Jones was a happy man at training this week, no doubt buoyed by the leniency to be taken by referees at the tackle and breakdown. The Brumbies coach was at the forefront of criticism of the inconsistencies that dominated the competition in the first three rounds, but is now expecting a greater spectacle for the fans.

Bulls coach Phil Pretorious probably doesn't care which way the referee controls the game on Saturday night, with injuries creating a far bigger headache. The Bulls were vastly undermanned against the Waratahs and didn't need to lose any players with a clash against the Brumbies to look forward to. However, he was out of luck.

Earlier this week, the Bulls had to say goodbye to flank Johan Wasserman and prop Frikkie Bosman, while utility back Wynand Lourens was sent home last week. Flyhalf Franco Smith, was then ruled out after sustaining an injury to his upper leg against the Waratahs, while Marius Goosen, a possible replacement for Smith, is also battling with a thigh injury. And finally, prop Johan Human was the latest to withdraw with an abscess on his leg.