Brumbies flyhalf Matt Toomua has warned former teammate Zack “Sherlock” Holmes he’ll be going to great bluffing lengths to prevent him from decoding his backline calls this Friday.

Western Force five-eighth Holmes was a thorn in the Brumbies’ side during their trial match in January, constantly listening out for what his old Super Rugby side might be planning next.

With deductive skills to rival his namesake, Holmes then relayed the impending moves to his teammates – helping the Force to a 31-21 victory.

But Holmes may have showed his hand a little early, as Toomua will be going to Moriarty-lengths to conceal his plans when the two sides meet at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.

“Zack and Ian (Prior) know our systems quite well, we heard them call out our plays during the trial match,” an amused Toomua said.

“They knew exactly what was going on.

“So we might change the calls, or just double bluff them, we’ll have to wait and see…”

But it’s not just the Brumbies’ systems that Holmes is familiar with.

Having played second fiddle to Toomua at the Brumbies in 2012 and 2013, the duo have an intimate knowledge of each other’s styles.

“He knows my game well. I know his game quite well,” Toomua said.

“Having that inside knowledge on a guy like Zack helps, and I’m sure he’d say the same thing about me.”

“There’s a mutual respect.”

The Brumbies are sitting on top of the Australian conference with two wins from three games – five points clear of the fourth-placed Force.

“And coming up against Australian teams always helps,” Toomua said.

“It’s much more than just a normal win. You’re actually taking points off a team in your conference which is really important, especially a team like the Force who came so close to the finals last year.”