The New South Wales Waratahs will carry the accumulated baggage of 10 seasons into the Super 12 rugby final Saturday, but refuse to concede favoritism to a Canterbury Crusaders lineup chasing five out of 10 titles in the dozen-franchise era.
The Waratahs have never reached a Super 12 final, had only ever once reached the playoffs until last week when they handily dispatched South Africa's Bulls at Sydney, extending their most successful season.
That performance still stood in the shadow of the Crusaders' flawless 47-7 win over the Wellington Hurricanes in the other semifinal which took them into their eighth final of the Super 12 decade, confirming them as the southern hemisphere's No. 1 provincial team of the era.
In the verbal buildup to most finals coaches battle for the underdog tag, hoping to lessen the pressure on their teams by lowering expectation. But Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie has actively shunned that billing.
McKenzie has emphasized his team's many strengths, the fact that it made the pace in the competition until the final round of the regular season, and has insisted the Waratahs start the match on an even-footing with the four-time champion Crusaders.
Instead, in the sparring which has set the tone for the final, the teams have battled over the application of the term "choker." It is a tag which has rested most heavily on the Waratahs who, in 10 seasons of unfulfilled promise, have almost come to own it.
McKenzie has been eager to point out the Crusaders have appeared in but failed to win the last two finals and has attempted to build around Canterbury the impression of a team with a finals weakness.
"I know when we lose one game, people call us chokers," McKenzie said. "So if you lose two finals, I don't know what that equates to. Obviously, they would be under a bit of pressure in that respect.
"In the back of their minds they'd be thinking, `We don't want to go down three-nil.'"
Crusaders coach Robbie Deans parried McKenzie with an assurance his team was not dwelling on its two recent final losses.
"The fact is we've lost the last two finals," Deans said. "If I can use a play on words, the only choke we want to use is the one which will give us a fast start."
Crusaders captain Richie McCaw said his team would be hardened by its recent finals experiences, even chastened by its loss to the Brumbies in Canberra last year.
"We got punished for every mistake we made," McCaw said.
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