Brumbies stand-in captain Nic White says his side will continue to "roll the dice" and kick for the corner, despite the strategy potentially costing them a drought-breaking Super Rugby win on Chiefs soil.

Chiefs flyhalf Aaron Cruden slotted a pressure-cooker penalty goal after the siren on Friday night for a 19-17 win at New Plymouth - denying the Brumbies their first away win against the Chiefs since 2007.

The Brumbies dominated the scrum for the first 60 minutes of the match, earning them the lion's share of possession, territory and penalties. But on at least four occasions White opted to use his deadly accurate boot to kick to the corner rather than take a penalty shot at goal.

It's a strategy that worked against the Queensland Reds last week, breaking their back and resulting in a red card to James Horwill for repeated maul infringements. But the Chiefs successfully sacked the Brumbies' attacking maul all but once at Yarrow Stadium.

With the Brumbies failing to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the full 80 minutes, the famously fast-finishing Chiefs hauled back the lead after the siren. Yet if White had his time again, he'd make the exact same decisions.

"Yes definitely. It put us in a position where we were 17-13 up because of it," he said. "There were a few difficult 50-50 ones. But we've got a forward pack that's really thriving on the set piece. As long as they keep functioning we'll keep giving them the chance. We're happy to roll the dice."

White said rugby wasn't just about keeping a scoreboard ticking over, but making your opposition feel under constant pressure. "And teams do feel that pressure if you continue putting them down in their corner," he said. "That's the way we're going to play it this year. We were so close, but no cigar."

The Brumbies now turn their attention to the fixture against Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park next Saturday. The Rebels are far from being the easy-beats they've been in previous years. They shocked the Crusaders in Christchurch last week and then pushed 2014 premiers the Waratahs for the full 80 minutes on Friday night.

"The Rebels are taking big scalps now. It's going to be another tough challenge," White said.