The NSW Waratahs face their defining match of the Super 12 rugby season against the Otago Highlanders tomorrow if they are to push on for one of the two top spots and a home semifinal.
The Waratahs are under siege at the top of the standings in the southern hemisphere provincial tournament with three games to go to the playoffs and the Dunedin showdown will test their championship mettle.
The third-placed Highlanders haven't been beaten since the opening game on Feb. 25 and since then they have developed into the season's best defensive unit conceding just 11 tries in eight games and the best scrum in Super 12.
The Waratahs, who have conceded only 11 points more than the Highlanders, have more attacking flair and average over three tries a game.
A loss for the Sydney franchise will almost certainly knock them off the top with the Canterbury Crusaders perched one point behind and lining up a home encounter with South Africa's last-placed Coastal Sharks in Christchurch today.
The Waratahs have a fine record at the "House of Pain," winning on three of their four visits there, but this will be a tremendous test of character against the rock-steady Highlanders, who will again look to their imposing front row of Carl Hayman, skipper Anton Oliver and Carl Hoeft to dominate.
Titleholders ACT Brumbies will walk the plank tomorrow against the fifth-placed Hurricanes in Wellington.
Defeat will almost certainly end their playoff chances after a wretched campaign of injuries to key personnel.
The Brumbies, without Wallaby scrum-half George Gregan, in-form No.8 Scott Fava, playmaker fly-half Stephen Larkham and Test winger Clyde Rathbone, are in seventh slot, six points adrift of the fourth-placed Auckland Blues.
The largely-settled nature of the Hurricanes' squad and the plight facing the Brumbies suggests the home team will be heavily favured to win, but coach Colin Cooper suggests otherwise.
"It might make them more dangerous," he said.
But the Brumbies have been battling all season and their 4-4 record suggests they aren't the same force they were last season when they downed the Crusaders in the final.
Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has brought back fly-half Daniel Carter at the expense of Andrew Mehrtens, Chris Jack for lock Kevin O'Neill and hooker Corey Flynn ahead of Tone Kopelani for the Sharks' match.
With flanker Richie McCaw and lock Norm Maxwell injured, it is the strongest starting 15 available and signals Deans wants to settle on his team for the playoffs.
The Blues have a tough encounter at high altitude against the fast-charging Northern Bulls in Pretoria today, in a match that is critical for the playoff chances of the Bulls.
The Bulls are sixth with 20 points and are the only South African side with a chance of making the semifinals. They have won their last three matches -- 29-26 against the Chiefs, 32-7 against the Reds and 35-20 over the Crusaders.
Blues' manager Ant Strachan is confident a settled forward pack led by Xavier Rush can compete up front with their bigger opponents.
"Then we've got some tricks to play in terms of shifting the ball to our backs," Strachan said.
The Blues have a tough run-in should they lose to the Bulls -- they face the Hurricanes at home and the Waratahs in Sydney on the final weekend of the home and away rounds.
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