They challenge each other on the training field, not only the playing 23 but also the players outside that group who are challenging them for places.
"The improvement in our culture throughout the last couple of years is that buy-in from everything."
The team's leaders and game controllers have taken ownership, and he said the experience the side has gained over the last two years will be important for them.
"We know what's coming, but we also know, more importantly, what we're going to bring.
"It's probably the first time the boys have been over to New Zealand playing in the semifinal and experiencing what it's like to play at Eden Park.
"We're going to lean on those experiences from those boys who were there. It's more the experience of playing away from home and in front of that crowd."
They will also apply their understanding of where their game is, what the positives are in their system, and what's been working for them.
After their regular-season loss to the Blues, they were aware of the pressure they felt at scrums in that game.
"It's a lot of technical stuff which the front row are now clear on how we can make adjustments on the run. The boys know that that's an area of improvement for us."
The side took the lessons from that earlier loss and used them to get on their winning run through the latter stage of the season.
"That was a tough lesson and something we addressed straight away to apply throughout the rest of the season."
Fullback Tom Wright said the Brumbies have their eyes on the prize after making the playoffs in the last two seasons, but they recognise the Blues are a significant hurdle.
"The challenge is going up against the Kiwi sides – always. That's no illusion to us. They've set the benchmark in this competition for a long time, and the challenge is that we've got to this hurdle and it's been over there. That's a little challenge on its own.
"But we go over there as a collective 23 that get to put the jersey on and represent the 35 of us here, and that's pretty much the support we'll have. We're good enough to do it, and that's all we need.
"They've [the Blues] have been the benchmark team physically, and they impose themselves on every game they play. We're not shying away from that.
"The style of football they play is very physical, brutal. They play an imposing game and understand their skill set, but they can also flip on a dime and play in a number of ways. They've got All Blacks littered through their backline and their forward pack.
"And they can hurt you. If they don't want to play through you, they can play around you, too."