The ninth-placed Hurricanes are only five points outside of the top six on the Super Rugby ladder and victory across the ditch would put them in good stead to finish the year strongly, as all teams go on a three-week break in June due to the international window before rounding out the regular season.
"There's no doubt for us to keep in the hunt it's an important game and we are pretty excited about it and we've trained well and now we just need to turn up in good condition,'' Hammett said.
"We've talked within the camp of what we want to do and what we want to achieve out of this game and we are pretty well aligned and the boys have trained well so we should be good.''
What the Hurricanes want to do is bank a bonus-point win to keep their post-season dreams alive and they have named an unchanged line-up for Saturday from the side that dismantled a hapless Melbourne Rebels side 66-24 in Wellington last week, while the 11th-placed Waratahs have lost their last five games.
The Crusaders and Highlanders open up week 15 when they meet in Christchurch tomorrow night and the match looms as important for both sides' playoff aspirations.
Perennial post-season participants, the Crusaders occupy fifth spot on the Super Rugby ladder and are second in the New Zealand conference - they trail the Chiefs by seven points - and a win would solidify their place in the top six.
Their run to the playoffs after the three-week international break will see them close out the regular season against the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Force.
The Crusaders are boosted this week following the return of international No 8 Kieran Read from injury.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders, who have made a habit of winning their encounters by small margins this season, as exemplified by their plus-19 points differential despite having won nine of their 13 games, need a victory to stay in the title race.
After this week's fixture, their two remaining games following the international break will see them host the high-flying Chiefs and then travel to Brisbane to meet the Reds, while they have the bye in the final round.
Also on Friday night, the Rebels host the Brumbies in Melbourne in a contest that shapes as an important one for the Brumbies who hold a lead of just five points over the Reds in the Australian conference.
Saturday will see another local derby between two New Zealand teams as the Chiefs travel north to meet the lowly Blues in Albany.
The Chiefs are three points clear at the top of the Super Rugby standings but won't want to slip up against a Blues side who have won only two games all year and are a franchise in crisis.
The Chiefs will be without Craig Clarke and Tanerau Latimer due to minor injuries and their roles have been filled by Mike FitzGerald and Sam Cane, respectively.
After the Hurricanes have tackled the Waratahs in Sydney, Sunday morning's (NZT) games in South Africa feature the bottom-of-the-table Lions hosting the Sharks in Johannesburg and Bulls and Stormers meeting in a blockbuster clash in Pretoria.
The Stormers are second overall and lead the South African conference while the Bulls (fourth) and Sharks (sixth) are in the running to finish in the top six and claim a wildcard spot.
The Sharks are riding a wave of momentum after knocking over the Stormers last week and should ease past the Lions who have won just one game this year.
Following a tough defeat to the Chiefs in New Zealand last week, the Bulls will be keen to get their campaign back on track against the Stormers who lead the Bulls by two points in the South African conference.
The Cheetahs, Western Force and the defending-champion Reds have the bye.
