"Obviously CJ's world class and Julian has grown as a rugby player. It's great they're playing but it provides more challenges for us. We'll have to work pretty hard to shut them down."
Shutting down time and space is something the Chiefs have been very good at during their seven-match winning run.
Creating things with the ball in hand has been more of a struggle.
As admirable as their win against the Sharks in a hot and humid Durban last week was, the common thread yesterday was of a dissatisfied locker room in the aftermath.
"While we're winning, there was a real deflated feeling, one of under-achievement. That's a positive feeling in a way, knowing we've won a game without playing anywhere near our potential."
It's easier to say those sort of things with an unprecedented seven-game winning streak behind you, but the Chiefs hope to finally unlock that potential against a talented but flighty Hurricanes side.
"It has been a demanding three weeks," coach Dave Rennie said. "We know it is going to be a tough encounter against the Hurricanes this weekend. They will be grumpy and have a few of their key players coming back so it will be a hard battle."
The home side, who are expecting a crowd in excess of 15,000, are also buoyed by the return of two old mates.
Brendon Leonard and Toby Smith return after hamstring and calf tears respectively. Leonard will slot straight into the No 9 jersey worn so ably by Tawera Kerr-Barlow in his absence, while Smith will return from the bench.
Both have been missed, but not nearly as much as first feared.
While Kerr-Barlow is still prone to lapsing into scatter-gun mode, his threat from the base has kept defences honest over the past two months.
Smith bolsters a front-row corps that looked seriously thin when he and Ben Afeaki were crocked in round one, but now looks formidable.
With Sona Taumalolo on a try-scoring tear and Ben Tameifuna proving hard to shift in the scrums, Smith's return now gives Rennie the choice he has not enjoyed since week one.
