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Crusaders serve up Waratahs' first real Super 12 test

The NSW Waratahs will know if they are contenders or pretenders for this year's Super 12 rugby title after testing their championship mettle against five-time winners Canterbury Crusaders tomorrow.

The Sydney franchise are unbeaten after five matches but have not faced an opponent possessing anywhere near the credentials of the New Zealanders, who are coming off a bye last weekend and a series of huge wins.

Supporters of the Waratahs know a victory over the Crusaders will give their front-running position extra credibility heading into the business end of the southern hemisphere provincial series.

winners

The Waratahs have won three of their last four meetings with the Crusaders, yet their record 96-19 loss away three years ago came just a week before they made their one and only Super 12 semifinal appearance.

If NSW win this weekend they will open up a yawning 13 to 14 point lead over the fourth-placed Crusaders, yet a defeat will close the Kiwis to four or five points off the leaders with six rounds to the semifinals in May.

The Waratahs' foraging flanker Phil Waugh believes his team must play mistake-free rugby to stop the Crusaders' juggernaut.

"They [the Crusaders] are a team that can score points quickly and really punish you for your mistakes, so we've got to play mistake-free rugby," Waugh said yesterday.

Neither coach Ewen McKenzie nor his players believe the Waratahs have yet been fully tested or played to their top potential.

Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has stuck with the starting side that smashed the Auckland Blues 41-19 on March 19, but has brought former All Blacks No.8 Sam Broomhall and Fijian flyer Vilimoni Delasau on to the reserves.

Deans said he sensed a different mentality in the Waratahs this year after seasons of under-achieving.

The other big game this weekend is the second-placed ACT Brumbies' trip to Auckland to take on the seventh-placed Blues.

The match has extra spice as it's the first time former coach David Nucifora has come up against the Brumbies since he became an assistant coach to the Blues after his controversial exit from the Canberra-based franchise last year.

Nucifora led the Brumbies to their second Super 12 title despite finding out in mid-season his services would not be retained amid reports of player power.

The Brumbies are in the midst of their first-ever four-week road trip after returning from two matches in South Africa.

"Being away from home for four games is a fair challenge given our not-so-good record away from home," coach Laurie Fisher said.

Captain and outside-center Stirling Mortlock is back after a medial ligament knee strain in the opening game against the Crusaders, while Wallaby playmaker Stephen Larkham is rated a 50-50 prospect following his recuperation from an operation to remove a melanoma from the back of his left leg.

Tasesa Lavea replaces All Black fly-half Carlos Spencer in the Blues' XV, who despite their star-studded lineup continue to be Super 12's most inconsistent team.

Blues threat

But the rested Blues with All Blacks Doug Howlett, Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko and Steve Devine in their backline will always pose a threat to any defense, especially at home tomorrow.

Bottom team Waikato Chiefs have made seven team changes for today's match with the third-placed Wellington Hurricanes in Wellington with coach Ian Foster looking to "freshen up" the forward pack.

Australia's Queensland Reds will be looking for ways to unlock the Otago Highlanders' strong defense in their match in Brisbane today.

The Highlanders have conceded just six tries in five games and it is the best defensive record in the competition.

South Africa's four teams -- Coastal Sharks, Western Stormers, Golden Cats and Northern Bulls -- have this weekend off.
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