Christian leali'ifano is unfazed by pressure © Getty Images

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Christian Lealiifano will draw on lessons learned playing for Australia against the British & Irish Lions when the Brumbies host the Cheetahs in their Super Rugby qualifier at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Lealiifano, 25, proved beyond any doubt that he belonged on the international stage after making his Wallabies debut in June, kicking four-from-four, including the match-winning conversion from the sideline, in the second Test at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

"Playing at Test level really helped me just with piece of mind, knowing that I can cope at that kind of level, so it definitely gives me a little bit of help going into finals footy on Sunday," Lealiifano said. "It was very exciting to be a part of the whole thing, and coming back [to the Brumbies] now I'm just trying to bring a bit of that experience and knowledge back."

The Brumbies suffered a major reality check when they suffered a shock 21-15 loss to Western Force in Perth, but they have lost back-to-back Super Rugby games only twice in two seasons under Jake White. Lealiifano believes the side can bounce back well against the Cheetahs, saying "we're not satisfied with how we are at the moment … we're hoping that everything just clicks for us; we've worked too hard for it not to.

"We're obviously very disappointed about last Saturday, but we're just going to put everything in towards Sunday and hopefully everything does pay off for us."

Brumbies assistant coach Stephen Larkham also is confident they can quicky bounce back to their best, pointing to the example of France's remarkable Rugby World Cup 2011 turnaround to reach the final. "You look at the French in the World Cup. They got through to the final and nearly beat New Zealand, having played so poorly [losing to New Zealand and Tonga] in the round games. Your form beforehand doesn't really matter. You can change your mind set in a week quite easily in Super Rugby."

Larkham, meanwhile, told his players what to expect against the Cheetahs in their Super Rugby qualifier, the two-time title-winning fly-half saying: "It's do or die. You get that intensity for the full 80 minutes, particularly the contact areas. Guys will throw themselves in there a little bit more. They're not going to hold anything back because they're not worried about injuries as it's potentially the last game of the season."

Lealiifano said the Brumbies players were aware they would face a tough battle in Canberra, especially given the significance of the club's first finals appearance in nine years. "There's been a fair bit of talk about how big the occasion is and I guess it's nine years since the Brumbies have been in the finals," he said. "But for us, we've just got to approach it like any other game. We're happy we're in this position, and we've worked too hard to let it slip so we're really going to enjoy it and be excited about it."

Follow live text commentary of the Super Rugby qualifier between the Brumbies and the Cheetahs on Sunday, July 21, from 5.45pm (NZT), 3.45pm (EST), 6.45am (GMT)