The powerful Canterbury Crusaders will put their self-confidence to the test against the lowly Cats on Friday, trying to strengthen their hold on the Super 14 rugby championship while resting six front-line players, including captain Richie McCaw.
But Crusaders coach Robbie Deans denied the decision to bench a host of All Blacks — including Chris Jack, Mose Tuiali’i and Caleb Ralph along with McCaw — had been influenced by the Cats’ poor season.
He said he would have altered his line-up regardless, despite having the luxury of a bye next week, ”because we monitor our guys in terms of their mental and physical state, week to week, and that’s a great indicator to where they are at”.
Both sides are in need of emphatic performances after the Crusaders were lucky to maintain their unbeaten record against the Chiefs last weekend, while the Cats, languishing second from the bottom, were humiliated 3-50 by the Waratahs.
The second-placed Wellington Hurricanes, who played their get-out-of-jail card with a late scoring burst to beat the Stormers last weekend, remain in South African to play the Bulls, the best-performing of the republic sides.
Veteran flyhalf David Holwell has held on to the number-10 jersey ahead of the promising Jimmy Goperth, with coach Colin Cooper saying Holwell’s experience will be important in the cauldron of Loftus Versfeld.
While the Hurricanes have strength out wide, wings Lome Fa’atau and Roy Kinikinilau fill two of the top three try-scoring slots in the competition, and their ball supply could be limited given the imposing Bulls pack.
Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer has named an unchanged starting XV after watching his side rumble to a hard-fought 23-16 victory over the Highlanders last weekend to claim fifth place in the competition.
The ACT Brumbies, in third place although they have not lost a game, have pinpointed former coach David Nucifora as motivation for their match against the Blues in Auckland on Saturday.
Nucifora left the Brumbies after guiding them to Super 12 victory in 2004 and was assistant coach of the Blues last year when they beat the ACT franchise.
”I guess we would like to get one over Nussy [Nucifora]. He got one over us. We’d like to get one over him … in a nice way,” coach Laurie Fisher said.
The Blues, with only one win so far this season, had their spirits lifted when flanker Daniel Braid was cleared to play after suffering a hamstring injury and he will have the task of trying to contain Brumbies danger man George Smith.
The Brumbies will be without Matt Giteau, who is in Melbourne on Sevens duty at the Commonwealth Games, as is the Waratahs’ Lote Tuqiri, whose absence has opened the door for Wendell Sailor to step back into the side for their match against the hapless Western Force.
The Waratahs, firmly in fourth place on the table, should not be troubled by the Force, who have yet to register a point.
The Coastal Sharks are looking to one of Otago’s favourite sons, Tony Brown, to produce the vital edge when they step into the House of Pain to play the Highlanders on Saturday.
”We have been using Tony a lot to learn about the New Zealand sides,” said Sharks coach Dick Muir, who sees the former Highlanders flyhalf as pivotal in their game plan because of his ”vast amount of knowledge of the conditions here”.
In a local derby in South Africa, middle-of-the-table contenders the Stormers and the Cheetahs clash at Newlands.
Springbok centre Jean de Villiers will lead the Stormers for the first time, replacing De Wet Barry, who has been placed on the bench after a string of average performances.
The Waikato Chiefs and the Queensland Reds have the bye. — Sapa-AFP