The Wallaroos have two games left on home soil before they depart for England, and Trilleen Pomare and Kaitlan Leaney know the side needs to deliver solid back-to-back performances if they wish to hit the ground running at the World Cup.
Both players featured in their two fixtures against Wales last year, with the Wallaroos losing to the Welsh for the first time ever in Newport, 31-24.
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However, the women in gold bounced back strongly the following week, blowing Wales off the park in Cape Town 37-5 on their way to a crucial WXV 2 title - with many considering the result a turning point for the side.
However, success is only as good as your next result, with both stars knowing they need to maintain the rage against the Welsh this weekend when they meet at Ballymore.
"We don't get too ahead of ourselves," Pomare said to reporters on Thursday following the team announcement.
"We've got to set a platform for the World Cup, so these two games are crucial preparation for us. We really need to nail our roles, find our cohesion and step into round one of the World Cup with momentum."
"We really enjoy playing Wales, obviously a physical side, and we don't get many chances to play these Northern Hemisphere teams," added Leaney.
"It's been a really good week of prep.
"We've had a big focus on ourselves, playing really fast. I think we took a lot of positives away from that last New Zealand test that we played; just fixing those little things throughout the last couple of weeks.
"We all have our different strengths that we bring, but that's the beauty of the game and it makes the prep really good as well because of the competition. Training's really intense and we're all pushing each other to get better."
While Siokapesi Palu and Charlotte Caslick will miss the Wales series and are in a race against the clock to be ready for the World Cup, Yapp has handy back up options at her disposal.
She will be calling on Emily Chancellor to fill Palu's shoes at flanker and as captain, while Georgina Friedrichs slots back into outside centre alongside Pomare.
The growth options have particularly noted by Pomare, being impressed by the impact the likes of Tia Hinds and Caslick have had on the squad.
"What you get with her [Fredrichs] is just that reliable nature of her," Pomare said of her centre partner.
"You look at any line break and she's the next one there. She's a quiet character but she leads by example and through action.
"It's great to be rubbing shoulders with her and playing next to her, she's always in the frame - it kind of drives you in your own skillset to want to be better and to want to be up there with her.
"[Tia's] fit, she's fast, she backs herself. She has a quiet confidence about her that rubs off on us. She's not scared to pull the trigger on things if she sees opportunity.
"I think, coming from a sevens environment, they've earned their stripes with us, we know they want to be here. They put their hands up to step away from Sevens and throw their hat in the ring to chase a World Cup with us.
"They're respected within the group. Whenever they speak, we listen.
"[Tia's] another one who's in the frame and that's reliable for us. It's cool to have that skillset and knowledge in the room."
Leaney will have a busy afternoon on Saturday, tasked with shutting down the key weapon in Wales' arsenal in a strong maul and set piece.
However, it's a task the 29-capped Wallaroo is excited to take on - teaming up with a new partner in Annabelle Codey to take down the women in red.
"[Annabelle's] a really physical player, brings a lot of attacking threats and good to have her physicality out there," Leaney added.
"I had three seasons over in the UK playing in the Premiership with a lot of the Northern Hemisphere girls, so that was a big focus for me while I was over there. Hopefully, I've been able to bring some of that knowledge I learnt there back to Aussie rugby.
"Wales really focus on that set piece, that's something that we've been really focusing on the past two years, to be honest - sharpening that maul, our line-out, our scrum and making it a real strength of ours.
"[With] Jo coming in, one of the main focuses going into the World Cup [was] wanting to ensure that we had a 32-player squad that if anything happened, the next person would get that call up and nothing would change.
"The main thing that's come from the depth of the squad is that we're pushing one another at training, that competition's there, there's definitely that fight for spots."
The match at Ballymore will be a particularly important one for the Wallaroos, with the side now based at the famous venue and Saturday's clash marking the first time Wales play on home soil.
The match also will see Ashley Marsters become the first player in Wallaroo gold to play 40 Test matches - with several players close behind her to crack the half century.
"Ash is a world-class player," Leaney said of her forward teammate.
"She brings a lot of experience, a lot of fight, a lot of hard grit. We're lucky to have her in the squad with us.
"She's that calm head when we're out in that field and she's a clutch player. She'll come in when we really need her to get that crucial turnover, score a try.
"She's someone that you love to have on your team and she's also someone you love to play against at training if you are in opposite teams because she really challenges you."
"She's a gun player," added Pomare - who is close behind her as the second-most capped Wallaroo of all time.
"Her competitive nature, especially as soon as you cross that line...she flicks a switch and she goes crazy.
"She has the ability to light us up at key moments. Everyone gets behind her. "Her still being in the room shows her commitment to the Wallaroos and just her love of rugby, we've had some tough years, and she's still been around.
"Massive milestone, especially as in the past we haven't had many matches. I'm sure she'll be hitting 50!"
