Queensland captain Nathan Sharpe will be forced to keep his emotions in check during Friday night’s clash against the Highlanders after the Reds launched a desperate campaign to retain the Wallabies enforcer.
Sharpe, off-contract at the end of the season, is one of several high-profile Queensland players being head-hunted by the new West Australian Super 14 franchise.
But Reds officials are hoping the tactic that saw fullback Chris Latham turn his back on Irish club Munster two seasons ago will have the same effect on Sharpe.
Ballymore’s famous hill was on Thursday transformed into the ”Don’t Go Sharpie Hill” in a last-ditch effort to stop the giant lock from defecting to the west.
It’s the second time the grassy knoll has undergone a name change after the successful ”Don’t Go Latho” campaign of 2003.
Latham had signed a letter of intent to join Munster after the last World Cup but an overwhelming flood of support from passionate Reds fans forced the Wallabies custodian to change his mind.
Sharpe (27) said he was flattered by the gesture but refused to comment on his future ahead of Queensland’s do-or-die clash against the Highlanders.
The Reds desperately need a victory over their defensive-minded opponents to ensure their slim hopes of a finals berth remain alive.
”It’s very nice and quite humbling, but I am trying to remain very focused for this game with the Highlanders,” Sharpe said. ”There are plenty of factors making it difficult for me to leave, and this is another one. I just need to stay focused on the game, though.”
Sharpe’s seasoned leadership will be pivotal to the youthful Reds’ chances against the Highlanders, who possess one of the best defensive records in the competition.
The Otago-based side has conceded just six tries from five matches and held the Bulls to nil in round three.
It was the first time a side had failed to score a point in a Super 12 match since the Brumbies beat the Cats 64-0 in 2000.
Sharpe said he is confident Queensland’s baby-faced duo of Stephen Moore and Greg Holmes will stand up to one of the most difficult challenges a front-rower could face in Super 12 on Friday night.
Moore, Holmes and veteran prop Nick Stiles will pack down against All Blacks trio Carl Hoeft, Anton Oliver and Carl Hayman in a duel that could decide the contest.
”They’re the sort of guys that will take that challenge on the chest and meet it front on. The team’s got complete faith in them,” he said.
”They’re playing against Hoeft, Oliver and Hayman, and they’re a fantastic front row, but these guys are going to be just as good, if not better, in the years to come.”
Queensland will be without skipper Elton Flatley for the second successive game after the Wallabies playmaker suffered a head knock three weeks ago. — Sapa-AAP