Assistant coach Tyler Bleyendaal said they expected another physical game from the Waratahs, who have shown on occasions this year that they could be tough to crack.
But, having their first loss gave the Hurricanes lessons to rebuild their game heading into the later stages of the competition.
"We've got a short turnaround and we've got to get back on the horse. It's about building our confidence again, looking at why things didn't go well and applying those lessons in the next challenge."
Bleyendaal said the Hurricanes always struggled in Canberra, but it was important to remember the Brumbies were a great team.
"You don't have to be too far off your game to get beaten over there."
The Hurricanes were inaccurate with the ball in hand and not physical enough in defence.
"They [the Brumbies] used the ball so they had good balance to their game but we didn't provide enough resistance in the contact areas, and then when we had the ball, we didn't apply enough pressure."
They will be without hooker James O'Reilly, who failed his HIA and joined Asafo Aumua on the injury list, and they were looking to bring a back-up hooker into the squad.
Flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi said the review of their game had shown they needed to be more physical.
"They did what we had planned for them to do, and they did it well because they're a quality team.
"Sometimes, you do everything you can during the week to prepare well and just don't turn up on the day. Hopefully, we don't do that again."
Kirifi said the Brumbies had been similar to other teams in the competition; the result reflected how the Hurricanes played and how they turned up on the day.
"We'll be looking to rock there. We're disappointed. It's the first time the team has had to reflect on a loss."
The side was going into the remainder of the season with challenges, and it was an opportunity to dig deeper while reflecting on what they needed to improve on in their remaining games.
"With a loss comes a great chance for us to be better and to look under a few rocks."
Kirifi added that the loss meant one burden, that of being unbeaten, had been lifted off their shoulders.
"It's a minor factor that we no longer have to worry about, which is good. It will help us focus on more important details of our game and of our season."