Newcastle Falcons centre Tane Tu'ipulotu has said his friendship with Worcester's Sam Tuitupou will be cast aside when the clubs meet on Saturday.
The Kiwi duo knew each other well prior to arriving in England but Tu'ipulotu has made the Falcons' fortunes his priority ahead of the game.
"I played most of my rugby with him back home, he's a good friend of mine," Tu'ipulotu told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"But when it's business time it's business time."
Falcons are without a win in the Premiership since their defeat of fellow strugglers Bristol in September, and last week's 20-3 defeat by Leicester left them second bottom going into the festive period.
However the affable Kiwi believes the Falcons can steer their way out of danger and at the very least maintain their Premiership status.
"Quietly there is confidence within the boys. We've had a few losses, quite a few actually, but individually we know we're good players," he said.
"It's just a matter of getting that win."
The signing of Tu'ipulotu from Wellington Lions was met with approval and excitement from supporters.
Reports told of the 27-year-old's impressive performances at centre in the southern hemisphere's Super 14 competition and in the Air New Zealand Cup.
However Tu'ipulotu is the first to admit that he has not been at his best since arriving in England.
"I'm not impressed with myself and hopefully I can get a bit more ball in hand and get over the game line a bit more," he added.
"It seems at the moment that I'm defending a lot which is good for that side of the game but hopefully in the next few games I can get more ball in hand.
"It's pretty much up to me to go out there and look for the ball and for the gaps."
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