The luckless Clyde Rathbone finished his first Super 14 match in two years with 10 stitches under his eye and requiring a CT scan.

But there was nothing but relief for the injury-plagued former Wallabies winger after the Brumbies' 33-31 win over the Highlanders.

Rathbone was more concerned by how his troublesome knee got through the topsy-turvy game at Carisbrook than his facial features following a nasty head clash.

"I was quite relieved after the game to be honest, the knee felt fine," he said, sporting a badly bruised left eye.

"It was Valentine's Day but so my wife wasn't completely happy."

Rathbone underwent his scans on Monday afternoon but was confident of being cleared of damage to his cheekbone and expects to line up against the Crusaders on Saturday night in Canberra.

"I'll prepare as if I'm going to play," the 26-Test flyer said.

"Everyone wants to play the first home game of the season against one of the best teams in the competition."

The Brumbies let themselves down with poor defensive errors in the first half against the Highlanders, to trail 19-0, and can't afford to make the same mistakes against the new-look Crusaders.

But Rathbone said the result was more than enough to be pleased about, especially after struggling across the Tasman in recent seasons.

"It's very tough to win in New Zealand and we don't have a good record there so to win there it's a very good launching pad for the rest of the season," he said.

Despite five-eighth Christian Lealiifano securing the opening-round victory with a last-minute drop goal, coach Andy Friend has issued no guarantees on the No.10 jersey as he also runs the rule over fellow youngster Matt Toomua.

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