I watched the games the other night over a few bottles of Red and was far from impressed but happy with the Tahs’ defensive effort in the dying stages to hang on. I watched the replay this morning and have found the core problem: Burgess.

Burgess needs to be moved to the bench. How often does he crab across field before he passes? Gregan did this a lot in the final stages of his career and it cause massive issues and he was heavily criticised for it.

Crabbing across field denies your inside backs a lot of space and the short passes/offloads to the forwards moving through channels 1 and 2 are easily picked off in defence. Hodgson had an absolute field day last night because of this and was easily the best player on the field and will really push for the back-up 7 spot this year and may well start.

Take a look at Genia when he is at the base of the ruck, he moves in, grabs the ball and fires it to keep the momentum up. The Tahs loose a lot of momentum with Burgess at 9.

The dynamics of the game have changed a lot under the new interpretations and most teams will only commit 1-2 players in defence to the breakdown. This places a greater emphasis on the attacking team to move the ball quickly when they need to. The Crusaders are the absolute masters at this and move the ball side to side much like a 7s team does.

Burgess needs to be benched. Holmes deserves his chance to start as he has added a lot every time he has come on.

Horne also needs to be moved into the 13 jersey. Carter has acquited himself well but is not a genuine 13. He lacks that break out pace to crack the defensive line and struggles to keep the pace of the wingers and provide inside support.

Hickey needs to have a really good look at his team and start making the necessary changes because if he doesn’t, it will be he who finds himself dropped altogether at the season end.

Roaring Hot

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Rugby and Adelaide make unlikely bedfellows when the International Rugby Sevens series stops off in the City of Churches on its global tour this weekend at the Adelaide Oval.

The tournament has found a niche audience in Adelaide thanks to the support of the state government – who were instrumental in bringing the event to the state in the first place – and generous coverage in the local media. The event is nestled nicely in a month in which Adelaide comes alive with various Arts festivals, the Adelaide Cup and the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar round

The crowd on Friday night at the currently truncated Adelaide Oval (construction work is being undertaken, with the famous members stands no longer standing) was healthy but unspectacular, with the Chappell stands filled by the homeless SACA members, yet large gaps in the general admission sections.

The number of Waratahs and Reds tops in the crowd hinted at a large number of tourists or ex-pats from the eastern seaboard in attendance, with a healthy spread of Wallabies tops throughout. (There was even an Adelaide Rams jersey! Wrong code, I know, but a rare sighting that deserved a mention).

There was the usual contingent of English and Kiwi supporters, a large group of Kenyans and even a proud pair supporting Niue, the tiny Pacific Islanders who played the Aussies in the final match of the night.

The locals (yes, there were some) were the ones bemused by the rules!

In the CBD, only a short walk south from Adelaide Oval, there was nothing to indicate that the tournament was even on.

Aside from the healthy coverage in the print media there was little else alerting locals of the tournament’s existence.

South Australia’s five-year contract to host the Australian leg of the series expires next year, and the ARU, together with the IRB, must be thinking of moving the tournament to a place where it could better help the code.

Unless there are genuine intentions for the game to expand into Adelaide in the long-term – something that appears highly doubtful unless it’s in a revitalised domestic league, such as the now-defunct Australian Rugby Championship (ARC) – then questions must be asked of the tournament’s value in South Australia.

A niche audience in Adelaide is great, but it will achieve little for the code, especially when it is struggling in the markets that matter most.

Crowds are down in its heartland, and despite the popularity and recognition of the Wallabies and the Sevens tournament, in a place like Adelaide, with no professional representation in either league, the NRL gets better traction than the Super 14 competition.

With the inclusion of Sevens into the Olympics from Rio 2016 on, the game has been afforded an enormous opportunity; one few codes could ever be given.

If it finds the right balance between Sevens – the Twenty20 version of rugby – and the traditional fifteens game, then there is a chance for the code to rebound .

But there needs to be more of a crossover between the two versions of the game in terms of marketing, promotion and player movement (something we are already witnessing) for those knock-on effects to have a significant impact, and that could only be achieved by moving the Sevens tournament to Sydney, Brisbane or the Gold Coast, or to a lesser extent Perth, Canberra or Melbourne; places where the code has a presence and a legacy from the tournament could be better utilized, whether that’s in Sydney on a weekend when the Tahs are on the road or the like.

As much as it pains me to say so as proud South Australian, the Rugby Sevens tournament would be better served in rugby’s Australian heartland rather than a rugby backwater.

The Waratahs trailed 10-8 at half-time but regained the lead courtesy of two penalties from five-eighth Daniel Halangahu, who took over the kicking duties from the wayward Berrick Barnes after the break.

The Force attacked relentlessly in the final 20 minutes and were unlucky not to find the winning try, with a dogged defensive effort from the Tahs and some dubious calls from referee Jaco Peyper denying the home side on numerous occasions.

NSW’s fourth win of the season and third on the trot allowed them to leapfrog the Brumbies into fourth, while the winless Force remain rooted to the bottom of the table with just one bonus point to show from five games.

The Force started as rank $4.40 outsiders with TAB Sportsbet despite the game being played on their home turf of ME Bank Stadium.

The sides traded early penalties before Tahs winger Drew Mitchell, appearing against his former side for the first time, scored the opening try of the night in the 16th minute when he beat Scott Staniforth to Halangahu’s perfectly-weighted grubber kick.

Barnes missed the conversion and sprayed his second penalty of the night seven minutes later but worse was to come from the Tahs’ inside centre.

With the visitors on the attack, Barnes watched in horror as his pass was expertly picked off by Force winger Staniforth, who sprinted 60m to touch down unopposed under the posts.

James O’Connor’s conversion gave the Force a 10-8 half-time lead and Barnes almost gave up his second try of the night shortly after the break when Ryan Cross stripped him of the ball and sprinted towards the line.

This time, however, the Tahs’ defence was able to scramble back in time to diffuse the situation much to the relief of Barnes.

And the visitors hit the lead in the 56th minute when a penalty against the Force’s scrum allowed Halangahu to pop over the three points, with another penalty in the 64th minute extending the margin to four points.

Force flyhalf David Hill was held up over the line in the 69th minute and the home side couldn’t find the winner despite a number of promising attacking forays.

But the Force can find solace from the improved effort, with their line-out, which was badly exposed in last week’s 50-10 loss to Queensland, particularly impressive.

The win, their fifth from six outings, kept the seven-time champions on course to again make the playoffs while the Lions remain without a win.

But despite the 27-point margin the contest was much closer than expected after Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder gambled on leaving five All Blacks on the bench against one of the weakest defensive sides in the competition.

The Crusaders held only a slender 22-16 halftime lead and with 15 minutes to go the Lions trailled by just 13 points.

But when Blackadder unleashed his replacements, including Dan Carter and veteran lock Chris Jack at halftime, it lifted the Crusaders in the closing stages and they ran in two late tries to secure the bonus point.

Captain Richie McCaw readily admitted the flattering scoreline did not tell the full story.

“Perhaps in the first half the couple of tries we got came a little easy and we thought it was all going to happen without doing the hard yards,” he said.

“But we stuck at it and the five points I’m happy with. You’ve still got to do all the little bits right. It wasn’t quite perfect.”

The Lions had control over the early exchanges and led 6-0 from two Burton Francis penalties before the Crusaders were allowed into the game.

Colin Slade, who started in the number 10 jersey ahead of Carter and kicked 21 points to be man of the match, put the home side on the board with the first of his five penalties.

A Sean Maitland try and another Slade penalty put the Crusaders up 11-6 before the Lions regained the lead with a try to hooker Hannes Franklin converted by Francis.

Two more Slade penalties and a try to Jonathan Poff for the Crusaders and another Francis penalty for the Lions rounded out the first-half scoring.

In the second half, a booming 55-metre penalty to Slade who also converted a try by Adam Whitelock and a further penalty to Francis had the Crusaders ahead 32-19 with 15 minutes to play.

But repeated Lions efforts to further close the gap, led by vigilant fullback Lionel Rose, were repulsed by a desperate Crusaders defence.

When the sting was taken out of the Lions attack, charging backrower Thomas Waldrom led the Crusaders deep into Lions territory where Maitland and replacement scrum half Willi Heinz both scored in the closing minutes.

The Crusaders have the bye next week while the Lions continue their road trip against the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin.

Pietersen kicked two early penalties and converted his own try on Saturday to help the Stormers to a third successive win and back up to second in the standings.

The Cheetahs had hit back with Meyer Bosman’s try, and Naas Olivier’s 49th minute drop goal brought the visitors to within five at 13-8.

Pietersen didn’t appear for the second half because of injury, but Fourie dived on a loose pass from Schalk Burger to re-establish the home team’s dominance.

Flyhalf Willem de Waal then sealed victory with his 61st-minute penalty.

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It marked the first victory in six matches for the South Africans this season at the expense of a Highlanders team now boasting a similarly mediocre 1-5 win-loss record.

The result was only confirmed two minutes from fulltime when Sharks centre Adrian Jacobs grabbed an intercept try to make the match safe for his side.

That came barely 90 seconds after Highlanders’ replacement winger Fetu’u Vainikolo was denied a try by the television official following a sweet backline move also featuring fellow winger Ben Smith.

Repeated replays were required before Vainikolo was ruled to have grounded the ball just short of the line and the Sharks made the most of the reprieve.

The Sharks had led 23-9 at one stage following a fine try to wing Stefan Terblanche before the Highlanders finally found the tryline themselves thanks to Smith’s strength in the 68th minute when the home side attacked down the short side from a scrum.

The Sharks had led 10-6 at halftime after defending stoutly and living off scraps of possession.

The Highlanders dominated territory but had only two Israel Dagg penalties to show for their exertions.

They lacked the continuity required to finish off promising moves and were galled to concede a try on the only occasion the South Africans visited their 22 in the opening 40 minutes.

That came in the 23rd minute when hooker Bismarck du Plessis crossed after sharp lead-up work by Keegan Daniel and Ruan Pienaar.

Aside from that the Sharks were deployed very much on a defensive brief for the duration of the first half, a role they stuck to with such rigidity the Highlanders could only manage a single try.

The result eliminated England from the cup competition, punishment for an upset loss to the USA on opening night.

Kimami Sitauti ran in two tries for the home side before Liam Gill crossed the line for the winner in front of about 9,000 spectators at Adelaide Oval.

Gill was sent off for a high tackle in the closing minutes, but a handful of desperate tackles guided the Australians through.

Their victory had the added benefit of pushing them closer to passing England into fourth on the IRB Sevens table.

The usual suspects New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Samoa all advanced, while Argentina and Wales also progressed to the cup quarter-finals.

Australia had earlier trounced the USA 36-0 to secure their path to the knockout phases of the tournament.

The Australians ran in six tries to nil, including a hat-trick to their opportunist centre Karauria-Henry.

Clearly exhausted by his efforts against England, McCutcheon said his team was growing in character and stature, as evidenced by their ability to stand up to an England side fighting to avoid elimination.

“Throughout the season we’ve been looking at how we can build character and that’s come a long way,” he said.

“It was a courageous win by the boys – six men on the field in the dying seconds, even with a few penalties, to hold them out, that’s character building.

“I’m a little bit buggered but the team is starting to perform so the boys are starting to realise they can be genuine contenders in this international tournament, we’re starting to shrug that young, underdog tag.”

Though a loss to England would have seen the Australians play the less fancied Wales rather than long-time sevens power Fiji, McCutcheon denied any temptation to contrive a result by saying every win was building the team for the future.

Sunday’s other cup quarters will see New Zealand face Samoa and Wales take on the USA before South Africa play off against Argentina.

American player Paul Emerick was banned for three matches for dangerous play during his side’s win over Niue.

This rules him out of the remainder of the USA’s campaign, which begins with a quarter-final against Wales.

Ireland needed to beat Scotland by a healthy margin at Croke Park to have any chance of overhauling France at the top of the standings, but were unable to capitalise on large amounts of possession and territory.

Ireland fought back from 17-10 down to twice level the scores but Dan Parks kicked his fifth penalty with two minutes left to give Scotland a 23-20 victory.

Defeat left Ireland with six points and three wins from five matches, two points fewer than France, who will try to win their first Grand Slam of victories since 2004 against England later on Saturday.

Scotland finished in fifth place, above only Italy.

Ireland outscored Scotland by two tries to one and threw the ball around as though it was a sevens match, but handling errors and infringements at the breakdown gave Parks the openings to help clinch a third man-of-the-match award in five games.

Ireland flyhalf Jonathan Sexton missed two penalties in a kicking display as erratic as the one he mustered against Wales last week and was eventually replaced by Ronan O’Gara.

Sexton did set up Brian O’Driscoll for his first try of the 2010 tournament to put Ireland ahead but John Beattie, aided by some weak Irish defence, touched down to help the visitors to a 14-7 halftime lead.

Wing Tommy Bowe then rounded off a slick passing move midway through the second half with his third try of the competition and O’Gara tied the scores at 17-17 and then 20-20.

But infringements at the scrum and breakdown continued to wear on referee Jonathan Kaplan and he gave Parks the penalty way out on the left to kick Scotland to victory.

“We got a bit of luck at the end of the game but Dan landed a great kick,” Scotland coach Andy Robinson said. “The guys are hurting, they are tired but they deserve the plaudits for this win.”

The victory means that Scotland, who lost to Wales on the last move of the match and were unlucky to draw 15-15 with England last week, avoids the ignominy of the wooden spoon for finishing last.

That position went to Italy for the fifth time in six years after they lost 33-10 at Wales.

The Welsh finished fourth for a second straight year after winning for only the second time.

“It’s been pretty frustrating,” Wales coach Warren Gatland said. “I felt we haven’t performed to our potential. There’s a couple of games we’ve let slip.

“We don’t feel the table really reflects where we are. On our day, if we get things right and working, we can trouble any side in the world.”

Centre James Hook touched down twice against an increasingly ill-disciplined Italian side and winger Shane Williams got a late try while flyhalf Stephen Jones finished with 18 points in a flawless kicking performance.

Ireland needed to beat Scotland by a healthy margin at Croke Park to have any chance of overhauling France at the top of the standings but couldn’t convert large amounts of possession and territory into points.

Ireland fought back from 10-17 down to twice level but Dan Parks kicked his fifth penalty with two minutes left to give Scotland their first win in this season’s tournament.

Ireland outscored Scotland by two tries to one but two missed kicks by flyhalf Jonathan Sexton cost the home side the chance of winning the Triple Crown to put pressure on France.

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Stephen Jones kicked four first-half penalties at Millennium Stadium before James Hook touched down twice against an increasingly ill-disciplined Italian side.

Shane Williams got his ninth try in eight games against Italy and Jones finished with 18 points in a flawless kicking performance.

Wales clinched fourth place in the standings despite ending the tournament without a first-half try in any match.

The Bulls have only just won at home against the Canes and have done so without scoring many points. The Crusaders beat the Lions but not by as much as many other teams have.

The performance against the Force, the bottom ranked team of the competition, highlights the problems faced by the Tahs. Let’s be honest, it was a car crash, you could not look away but took no pleasure from watching. No attack, no backline, no enthusiasm, no urgency – they were very lucky to get a very ugly win – and too ugly to draw any fans to the next game.

Sadly, this fourth place will be the “highwater mark” of the Tahs’ year.

An evaluation of what is needed to win, what has happened and an estimate of what will happen leads to this conclusion.

What is the easiest way to win the super competition?

The answer is really quite simple:
- Win games.
- Win bonus points.
- Get a home semi.
- Get a home final.
- Win the final.

The Tahs have so far won games – four out of six. Ranking 4th in the comp and that’s okay.

The problem lies with who they have played and the bonus points. The Tahs have two bonus points. Ranking 3rd in the comp but equal with six other teams- only six teams have scored less. They have played three of the four bottom ranked teams. Basically you need to score two tries every half, and the Tahs just can not do this – not even against the weakest teams.

The struggle to score one try against the bottom team is just unexplainable. With the slightest confrontation the team resorts to the “field position” game plan, but with no attack field position leads to little.

Next week the Tahs have the Blues, the crowd will be no more than 15,000 and the Tahs will not get more than one point from the game.

The week after the Tahs play the Cheetahs – aside from the Highlanders this is the easiest game left but by now the crowd will be less than 12,000 and the Tahs will see somewhere between one to four points.

They then have the Crusaders, a bye and the Brumbies. If the Tahs can get four points from these three rounds, it would be surprising.

By then the season is as good as over.

The way the game needs to be played this year is so far away from the way the Tahs have set their game plan that they now cannot step up to.

Now is the time to make some changes for the future.

Firstly, Mr Hickey should be given the chance to consider his employment options for next year.

They should then pick a back line that can create opportunities.

If we start now they may be ready for next year.

The Super 14 leaders scored just one try, through fullback Zane Kirchner, and relied on Steyn’s radar-like boot to extend their winning run in Pretoria to 15 games. The Hurricanes were the last team to win at Loftus Versfeld, back in April 2008.

A much-changed Hurricanes team had made the early running with first-half tries from flanker Karl Lowe and lock Jeremy Thrush.

Kirchner stepped inside two defenders for the Bulls’ first points and Steyn’s three second-half penalties continued the champions’ unbeaten start to the competition.

After the personal low of his controversial end to 2009, mercurial five-eighth Cooper has enjoyed a great start to 2010, spearheading Queensland’s amazing turnaround.

His performances beside Wallabies halfback Will Genia have helped put the Reds one competition point from the top four and stamped him as a strong alternative to Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes as the Wallabies’ No.10.

With both Giteau and Barnes yet to fully assert themselves with the Brumbies and NSW respectively, Kafer feels Cooper’s improved ability to mix his big bag of tricks with control and vision makes him currently the leading contender for this year’s Test campaign.

The former long-time Brumbies back, now the players’ association president and a TV rugby analyst, would like to see Cooper and Giteau switch the 10 and 12 Wallabies jerseys they wore in November’s Grand Slam tour.

“If you are to say at the moment what player is going to give me the best chance of scoring tries and winning matches then I find it hard to go past Quade Cooper in the form he’s in,” Kafer told AAP.

“Matt Giteau is obviously a very good player and would be in the reckoning somewhere but I’ve been a long-term believer that Matt Giteau’s best position is at 12.

“Gits has occasionally joked with me that he doesn’t believe that’s the case but Gits is a wonderful 12 and I really love him at 12.

“That 9-10-12 combination of Genia-Cooper-Giteau is mouth-watering and that’s not taking anything away from other players in the mix there including Berrick Barnes.”

The first Wallabies team of 2010, to play Fiji in Canberra, will not be named until June 1, a month before Cooper’s due in court for a committal hearing over a burglary on the Gold Coast in December.

The 21-year-old, who flew to South Africa with the Reds on Friday, must continue his hot form to enhance chances of being picked as Australia’s five-eighth for the first time in his 11-Test career.

But he has the benefit of playing outside Genia, whose service is easily the best in the country, and boasting a winning combination with the Test halfback.

The two Reds sit with the Bulls’ Springbok duo of Fourie du Preez and Morne Steyn as the form halves pairing in the Super 14.

Kafer felt Barnes’ move from Queensland to the Waratahs had made Cooper and Genia step up, and they’d responded superbly to the extra responsibility.

“You’ve got two guys who are the leaders of the team in critical positions and they are playing the game in a fashion they enjoy,” he said.

“Quade’s got all the tricks in the bag and that’s the thing that excites. It excites me watching him because you can see this guy has got so many options that he can take.

“What he struggled with previously is taking the right one and now he makes the right play.”

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O’Connor has been a shining light for the winless Force this season, starring at fullback, inside centre and five-eighth in the franchise’s injury-hit campaign.

The 19-year-old will wear the No.12 jersey against the Tahs but Dennis said it would upset NSW’s focus if they placed too much attention on the 84kg Wallaby

“He’s a quality player and he’s played at Test level so it (physically targeting him) is probably not the best approach in terms of nullifying him,” Dennis said.

“You’ve just got to be conscious of what he’s capable of doing and if anything his size probably benefits him in terms of he can get through holes easier and get inside blokes.

“James O’Connor has probably been the only guy who’s been holding his own regardless of results.

“He’s playing well and attacking the line well so he’s going to cause trouble in midfield.

“Obviously if you get the chance, like any of their players, we’ll probably want to put a good shot on him but we’ll just be trying to get a good line and make sure there’s no opportunities in defence.”

Force skipper Nathan Sharpe said his team was looking for redemption following last week’s embarrassing 50-10 loss to Queensland.

“I think the biggest pressure for us is coming from ourselves,” Sharpe said.

“The more hard work you put in the more you are after results.

“We want to redeem ourselves from last week’s performance.

“If we win, that will be redemption enough.”

Dennis predicted a far stronger showing from the Force, who have named an unchanged starting line-up despite last week’s hammering.

“We are definitely not underestimating their capabilities and although they had a pretty tough day against the Reds we aren’t going in complacent,” he said.

“We know they’re up for a big one.

“They’ll string some wins together, it’s just a matter of when, so we’ve got to be on our toes.

“It’s an Australian derby so it has that little bit of extra significance, so they’ll be up for it.”

NSW were dealt a double blow on the eve of the match when prop Al Baxter (calf) and No.8 Wycliff Palu (hamstring) were ruled out through injury.

Sekope Kepu replaces Baxter in the run-on side while Ben Mowen will start at No.8.

Adding extra spice to the match will be the presence of former Force winger Drew Mitchell, a four-try hero in the Waratahs’ 73-12 win over the Lions last week.

NSW (3-2) sit seventh on the table and will be desperate to post a win, and possibly a bonus point, against the last-placed Force in order to stay in touch with the top four.

The Blues scored five tries to three as 19 points from the boot of five-eighth Matt Giteau couldn’t prevent the Brumbies suffering their first defeat in four games.

The Brumbies moved up to fourth with a bonus point, but only three points split the five teams immediately below them, all of whom have a game in hand on the Canberra-based franchise.

A four try blitz from the Blues in the third quarter proved decisive, as they marked the 100th Super appearance of captain and hooker Keven Mealamu in style.

Down 16-10 at the break, the Blues outscored the Brumbies 26-6 in 12 minutes early in the second half to carve out a 36-22 lead.

The Brumbies scored the next 12 points, with tries to replacements Huia Edmonds and Patrick Phibbs setting up a grandstand finish.

The visiting team couldn’t manufacture another score after the 76th minute Phibbs five-pointer and Blues five-eighth Stephen Brett secured the points with a 79th minute field goal.

The Brumbies performed well in the set pieces and coach Andy Friend was pleased with the impact made by his bench players, but he lamented some costly errors and poor defence.

“We knew they were going to challenge our defensive line the whole night which they did and unfortunately we weren’t able to sustain the reasonable effort in defence,” Brumbies coach Andy Friend told AAP.

“We knew what was coming, that’s the style of rugby they play … they continued to ask questions of our defensive line and we didn’t have the answers the whole time.”

Friend said the full extent of a shoulder knock suffered by veteran flanker George Smith, who was forced from the field in the second half, probably wouldn’t be known until Sunday.

The Brumbies host the Chiefs next week before having their bye and don’t travel outside Australia again to the final round.

Sparked by centre Rene Ranger, the Blues always looked dangerous when they held possession and spread the ball.

Ranger and fellow centre Benson Stanley, winger Joe Rokocoko and fullback Isaia Toeva all crossed in the match-tilting period at the start of the second half.

The Brumbies held an early 10-3 lead highlighted by a try to prop Salesi Ma’afu.

The Blues levelled the score when Brett converted the first of Rokocoko’s two tries.

Giteau kicked two penalties to give the Brumbies a 16-10 halftime buffer.

Ranger got the Blues within a point with a try inside two minutes of the second half and his bust set up the go-ahead try to Stanley.

Rokocoko caught a cross field kick from Brett and Toeava cut through some more ordinary defence as the Blues piled on two more tries.

Edmonds crashed through for the Brumbies second try just before the hour and Phibbs raised the Brumbies hopes further when he crossed following a great pass from flanker Rocky Elsom.

Even if it does compete, it may only involve one senior and one colts (U/20) team. We haven’t even heard how fellow Western Sydney club, Penrith Emus, is faring.

The lack of penetration into the greater Western Sydney by the NSWRU is coming back to bite them.

Sydney’s Greater West contains the largest youth catchment area in Australia, with rugby league, Australian football and association football all competing against each other for the hearts and minds of these future players.

Rugby union is conspicuous by its absence in this battle out west.

Sure, the NSWRU have made intermittent attempts to penetrate this massive market, but a combination of current lack of funds and previous lack of sufficient will is seeing rugby union well and truly lose the fight.

Indeed, it’s not even in the contest at present.

Meanwhile, across town near the CBD, the Sydney University club has been given immunity for life, it seems. Sydney University doesn’t represent a suburb or district, but here it is, its place in Sydney premier rugby guaranteed in apparent perpetuity.

This is because Sydney University is universally recognised in the lore and history of Australian rugby as our first ever rugby club.

Yet, even this might be in dispute.

Originally, Sydney University RFC claimed it was first founded in 1863, then 1864. Yet, the first documented evidence doesn’t seem to appear until 1865.

Even then, there is speculation it was beaten to the punch as our first rugby club by Sydney FC, which claims to have been founded in June of 1865.

Over the years, it appears the newspapers have often become confused between Sydney FC and Sydney University FC. What is undisputed is that Sydney University can claim to be the oldest continuously existing rugby club in Australia.

On the other hand, there have been various rugby/football clubs named Sydney, with none of them surviving long-term.

When the district club system was introduced in 1900, seven of the original 8 clubs were district based, with Sydney University being given exemption. The elite society dominated rugby establishment had no problem with this obvious anomaly.

For the record, the original eight clubs forming the district competition in 1900 were: Balmain, Glebe, Newtown, North Sydney, South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs, Western Suburbs and Sydney University.

If these teams have a familiar ring to them, with the exception of Sydney University, the other seven clubs were founding rugby league clubs in Sydney in 1908. The other two being Cumberland (later Parramatta) and Newcastle (for one season).

But getting back to Sydney University, don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating they disappear from sight. I simply believe their proper place is in the Suburban comp, freeing up their place in premier rugby for another district based team.

I know a proud and passionate Sydney University supporter like Bruce Ross will take me to task over this, but I simply can’t accept that Sydney University’s place in the Shute Shield is considered inviolate, while Parramatta and perhaps even Penrith, run the risk of disappearing beneath the waves.

The problem of Australian rugby, and NSWRU in particular, is a systemic one, or structural to be precise.

We uphold a team (Sydney University) that represents no district, suburb or region, while seemingly being willing to sacrifice a club that represents a district. Not just a district, but one of the huge youth catchment areas of both Sydney and Australia.

Let’s say both Parramatta and Penrith drop out of Shute Shield.

The westernmost club remaining in the 10 team Shute Shield would be West Harbour, or perhaps Eastwood further to its north. There would also be Sydney University, who represent no district at all, and Eastern Suburbs, whose youth catchment has contracted significantly over the past century.

If Parrmatta, and perhaps Penrith, are allowed to disappear, while Sydney University remains immune from relocation (to suburban rugby), then I can only draw the conclusion that Australian rugby is not at all serious about developing their game.

Being an AFL city, the ARU must stamp its authority strongly and swiftly, otherwise the team could prove to be a national embarrassment.

The signing of Danny Cipriani is especially significant.

The Englishman can be marketed as a draw-card to rugby matches and being in the Super 15 should suit his style of play. Hopefully his entertaining play can attract a younger generation of Melbourne-based rugby players.

The best thing the Rebels can do at this stage is focus on signing influential leaders to their side and to build the franchise on their strengths.

Failure to do so will result in a lack of depth and possible collapse with foreign players eventually departing home.

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In the final moments of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, the match, which had see-sawed for almost 100 minutes, was finally decided by an ice-cold Jonny Wilkinson field goal.

In that moment, Wilkinson entered rugby mythology as the architect of an England triumph.

In 1991, David Campese sliced across field and darted inside John Kirwan to score, and later put Tim Horan over with his over-the-shoulder pass to defeat the All Blacks en route to a victorious World Cup final against England, in that moment cementing his own place in the pantheon.

Steven Larkham dropped an incredible 48-metre goal to oust the Springboks in 1999 and, as a result of that moment, is these days mentioned in the same breath as Mark Ella.

Jonah Lomu speed-humped Mike Catt en route to a memorable try against England in 1995 and is recalled whenever rugby people talk about defining World Cup moments.

A World Cup is made of great moments, of memorable instants, and the thing they all have in common is that the players who engineered them made their reputations by seizing a moment on the biggest stage of all.

The nature of the Cup is that only the best of the best make it to the pointy end, and it invariably takes a bit of individual brilliance to win it.

An extraordinary moment. A moment totally out of the box. A pass, a step, a run, a try. The catch is that only a select few are capable of such magic.

Rugby knows this and is counting on it to drag viewers into the rugby vortex, particularly in Australia.

This is the only country where rugby battles with three other codes of football and Australian rugby desperately needs a shot in the arm.

More than anything it needs to prove to the punters that rugby can be beautiful, can be exciting, can put you on the edge of your seat. TV deals, gate receipts and sponsorships depend on it, as do player numbers at the grassroots.

When you think of it this way, you couldn’t be more flabbergasted to find out that Quade Cooper, the talent in Australian rugby most likely to engineer such a pivotal moment at next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, is about to come off contract, and has only one offer on the table, from a high profile French club.

It’s hard to believe, but the ARU is yet to tie up Cooper, despite him being the form 5/8 in the whole Super 14.

Not only are they yet to tie him up, they’re yet to even make him an offer at all.

The no-look pass to Will Chambers; the short ball to Anthony Faingaa; the two channel inside ball to Digby Ioane – all pinpoint passes in heavy traffic which resulted in wonderful tries that had the crowds on their feet.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have been enough to jolt the ARU into action on new contract numbers.

Of course, you say, they’re waiting to see the outcome of his court case, because if he gets a conviction out of it, then he won’t get a European visa and the ARU will get him cheap.

In any case, he’ll want to play in the Rugby World Cup, so we don’t need to worry too much.

In any case, he cannot officially re-sign until cleared by the ARU, which makes it doubly difficult for Queensland.

If this is the logic from the national body, then it is a dangerous game to play. Early indications are that the Cooper case won’t even make it into a courtroom, and that he is likely to escape without a conviction at all.

Although the facts of the case are yet to be revealed to the public, there is reason to believe that Cooper will very shortly be free to do as he pleases.

The other issue is that Quade Cooper is very young, still only 21 years old. With these sort of years on his side, he will be at the peak of his powers in 2015, and still only just 30 in 2019, so another two World Cups are well within his grasp.

Why then would he stick around until the 2011 World Cup on a reduced ARU offer, and immediately afterward have to battle with the likes of Matt Giteau, Dan Carter, Ruan Pienaar, Stephen Brett and Morne Steyn for flyhalf spots if he wants to go to Europe?

Given the money on offer in French rugby now, he could be well advised to take the cash and you couldn’t blame him.

After all, he’ll only have a couple of weeks to make the decision, and with no other offers, and the ARU dragging the chain, what else could he do?

Of course, the ARU delaying tactics are not limited to Cooper. Peter Hynes recently went on record with his frustrations, and Benn Robinson and Wycliffe Palu have also expressed irritation at the difficulty in negotiating with the ARU.

Is it a deliberate approach?

Clearly, from a negotiation standpoint, the World Cup is a significant carrot which the ARU can use to influence players to stay in Australia.

But it’s risky. There are only a few players capable of consistently making that brilliant play which wins big games.

Quade Cooper has shown that he has the X-Factor. You might also call it the Jarryd Hayne effect.

Former league great and sports store owner Peter Wynn recently said that sales of Parramatta Eels NRL jerseys have gone through the roof over the last 12 months, and almost every one without exception, wanted the number 1 on the back with “Hayne” written above it.

This is the battle for which the ARU needs ammunition – the battle for the hearts and minds of kids in the eastern states.

League has a stack of these exciting names that kids pretend to be when they’re playing touch footy – Slater, Folau, Inglis, Marshall, Soward, Thurston and, of course, Hayne.

Rugby has…well…umm…you get my point.

If there are any kids out there pretending to be rugby players when they’re playing touch (and it’s not many), they’re pretending to be Cooper with his wide cutouts, his jump step and the no-look pass.

There’s no-one else who excites them.

If Cooper isn’t eating snails by the time RWC 2011 rolls around, he has the potential to pick apart the best defences and create something great.

Not only could he win Australia a World Cup with a moment of brilliance, but he could also be the one who kids want on their jerseys, and it’s a proven fact that rugby’s financial fortunes follow almost the exact same trajectory as the merchandise sales graph.

If you don’t agree with me on how good this kid can be, just remember what a raw flaky talent he was in 2007.

Then think about his try against Italy to win a Test in 2008. His maturity as a replacement for Berrick Barnes on the 2009 Spring Tour – when most thought he’d sink, he swam with distinction.

And finally, his dominant performances and myriad try assists in the Super 14 this year.

Now imagine how good he will be in 18 months if he keeps improving like that?

He could be the star that Australian rugby is looking for in the 2011 Big Dance, but we’ll never know if we don’t keep him.

In some ways, our battle for the 2011 World Cup starts by keeping Cooper.

Adding to a schedule headlined by their Cook Cup showdowns with the Wallabies on 12 June in Perth and 19 June in Sydney, England will also play the Australian Barbarians on the Tuesday before each Test as part of the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.

The Australian Barbarians will take on the 2003 Rugby World Cup champions and 2007 runners-up at ME Bank Stadium in Perth, home of the Western Force, on June 8.

The match will be the first the Australian Barbarians have played against a visiting international side since downing Scotland 39-34 at Penrith in 1998.

The second game against England will be staged at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford on 15 June.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans welcomed the addition of the two Australian Barbarians fixtures to the England tour schedule.

“These games provide massive benefit for both the Qantas Wallabies program and Australian Rugby as a whole,” Deans said.

“The mid-week matches we played on our spring tour last year were a great example of the benefits the additional international exposure provides.

“Quade Cooper played his way into our side for the Test against England the following weekend when we played Gloucester.

“Kurtley Beale also excelled that night, and wound up playing his first Test later in the trip.

“Luke Morahan then made his debut for the Wallabies at Cardiff, and has subsequently kicked on this year with the Queensland Reds.”

The two matches in Perth will be the first England has played in the city since starting their triumphant 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign.

The tour will also mark the return of Jonny Wilkinson to Australia, pending selection, for the first time since his memorable role in the securing of the William Webb Ellis Cup.

The England squad, after four matches in Australia, will conclude their Southern Hemisphere tour with a game against the New Zealand Maori in Napier on June 23.

On a dramatic day, starting with the surprise exclusion of veteran centre Morgan Turinui from the 26-man tour squad to South Africa, Weeks was announced as the Rebels’ first Australian-based signing.

While McKenzie found Weeks’ decision difficult to fathom, he was quick to reassure Reds fans by revealing he and general manager Daniel Herbert had 22 players on the books for the 2011 Super 15 season and beyond.

They include Wallabies stars James Horwill, Digby Ioane and Will Genia, who re-signed last year, as well as 15 of the 23 players who come off contract in 2010.

Of the 23 only the Faingaa twins, hooker Saia and centre Anthony, have been formally announced as staying at Ballymore after signing a new two-year deal this week.

But McKenzie has chosen to keep the identity of other committed Reds secret to ensure unsigned off-contract players aren’t discouraged or anxious as they work through negotiations.

“We don’t want to fill the roster too early,” he said. “We’ve got 22 for next year and obviously we have others we’re working on.

“It’s not some half-arsed job to grab (players), we’ve actually been quite targeted.

“I’ve been working at it with Daniel Herbert who’s done a great job as well to secure the heart of the team for the long haul and we’re quite confident we’re a long way down the track.

“We want to live in the moment which is 2010.”

McKenzie admitted the Reds still had some hurdles, proven by Australian Super 14 rookie of 2009 Weeks’ move south.

He described the tight-head’s decision to follow his former Sydney University mentor and new Rebels assistant coach Damien Hill to Melbourne as illogical considering he’d become Wallabies material at Ballymore.

Queensland assistant forwards coach Alec Evans feared Weeks would pay the price for leaving the tutelage of 51-Test prop McKenzie.

“If he had another season with the Reds I’m sure it would have elevated him to the Wallabies,” Evans said.

But Evans was confident Weeks’ loss would be covered in 2011 with Greg Holmes stepping up to the mark at tight-head and young guns Jack Kennedy and James Slipper showing great potential.

Playmaker Quade Cooper and fellow Wallabies back Peter Hynes remain at the top of the Reds’ must-keep list but the pair can’t re-sign until sorting out top-up deals with the ARU.

Queensland are also believed to have lost lock Adam Byrnes and reserve halfback Richard Kingi to the Rebels.

Former Wallabies vice-captain Turinui is one who also appears on the outer after being surprisingly overlooked for the Reds’ 26-man squad to tour South Africa.

McKenzie admitted Ioane’s successful move to outside centre in the 50-10 thrashing of the Western Force and a desire to develop Will Chambers and Ben Tapuai had cost the 28-year-old.

“We obviously know a lot about Morgan but there’s a couple of other guys we want to find a little more about,” he said.

Winger Rod Davies has returned from a fractured cheekbone for the three-match tour while in-form flanker Daniel Braid has been cleared of a knee injury.

Neither No.8 Wycliff Palu (hamstring) or prop Al Baxter (calf) ran at training on Thursday and were struggling to be fit enough in time to make the flight west on Friday.

Hickey has Sekope Kepu on standby to replace Baxter, with Dan Palmer poised to be the bench prop.

If Palu doesn’t make it, Ben Mowen will come into the starting side with Locky (Locky) McCaffrey to come on to the bench.

McCaffrey has yet to play a Super match and was on the bench for one game in South Africa.

Hickey had initially named the same 22 for the third consecutive week.

With his team riding on the back of successive wins, Hickey didn’t want to disturb their rhythm.

However with their bye not scheduled until round 10 he was wary of wearing down some of his players if he just stuck to fielding the same team.

“It’s a bit of a dilemma, every week you’ve got an important game to play and a challenge,” Hickey told AAP.

“You want to have your best team on the field, but you also want those players reasonably fresh and available at the end of the year.

“Once you get into this stage of the season you do start to look at possibly rotating.

“But you’ve got to be careful that doesn’t jeopardise your chances to win the game you’ve got to play on the weekend.

“We are probably in a reasonable position to do that (rotate players), given we’ve got a strong bench and players there who are certainly capable of starting games, so that’s something you start to have a look at at this stage of the season.

“We don’t get our bye until round 10, which is a fair way into the competition, so we may have to try and look at that in the next week or two given that the bye is that late in the season.”

McCaffrey, who was the Sydney club rugby player of the year in 2009, signed a two-year Super contract with the Waratahs on Thursday.

Sydney University premiership-winning prop Paddy Ryan has also been elevated from the Junior Waratahs squad and signed up as a senior player for two years.

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The Force sit last on the table with no points from their four games.

And despite the Force’s horror showing against the Reds last week, where the line-out was particularly atrocious, Mitchell said he had faith the team could turn their fortunes around.

“We’ve put accountability back on the same team,” Mitchell said on Thursday.

“It’s important to settle on selection and get some continuity with the same players.

“They’re not playing for their futures, they’re good players.

“It’s just a matter of becoming a little more attentive on the detail.

“I think it’s good for the players to have (a settled side) and also from the previous performance you’d think some players are going to respond because they weren’t happy with the last performance.”

While Mitchell has stuck with his starting XV, hooker Pek Cowan (shoulder), Matt Dunning (concussion) and Jono Jenkins (broken ankle) have been replaced by Ben Whittaker, Kieran Longbottom and Luke Jones on the bench.

NSW coach Chris Hickey has retained the same 22-man squad that demolished the Lions 73-12 last week.

Mitchell said it would have been counter-productive for him to make massive changes to the starting line-up.

“The guys are working hard, they have great intent but things aren’t going for us at the moment,” he said.

“You don’t go throwing a lot of things out the door or react emotionally, you just have to keep working hard to get better and one example of confidence is sticking with the same group.

“You can’t worry about the past, you can’t control it.

“All you can control is this week.

“It’s a derby and it’s very important to us and we are very positive about how we are going to approach things and we are looking forward to responding.”

Western Force team: Dane Haylett-Petty, Scott Staniforth, Ryan Cross, James O’Connor, Nick Cummins, David Hill, Brett Sheehan, Richard Stanford, Matt Hodgson, Ben McCalman, Nathan Sharpe (capt), Sam Wykes, Tim Fairbrother, Ryan Tyrrell, Nic Henderson. Res: Ben Whittaker, Kieran Longbottom, Tom Hockings, Luke Jones, Chris O’Young, Sam Harris, Mitch Inman

FRIDAY
BLUES v BRUMBIES at Eden Park, Auckland at 5.35pm
Last meeting: Brumbies 37 bt Blues 15 at Canberra

The Brumbies have slowly risen to equal fourth by grinding out four tight wins. They face a massive test here to continue their streak with the Blues well rested from a bye and playing in Auckland. Stirling Mortlock has been rested with a neck injury but the inclusion of Tyrone Smith in the centres may give the Brumbies’ backline extra impetus on the evidence of his second-half display against the Sharks. The Blues have All Blacks utility Isaia Toeava back from injury and he replaces Paul Williams at fullback.

Sports Alive: Blues $1.62, Brumbies $2.30
Tip: Blues by 5

SATURDAY
BULLS v HURRICANES at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 4.10am
Last meeting: Bulls 19 bt Hurricanes 14 at Wellington

The rampant Bulls are on a roll and looking for their 15th straight victory at their Loftus cauldron to celebrate Victor Matfield’s 100th match. They have yet to drop a point and lead the competition despite having a bye. Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper has wielded the axe following their 37-13 loss to the Stormers. Halfback Piri Weepu, flanker Scott Waldrom, lock Bryn Evans, winger David Smith and prop Jacob Ellison have all been dropped in a major overhaul of last season’s semi-finalists.

Sports Alive: Bulls $1.11, Hurricanes $6.50
Tip: Bulls by 20

CRUSADERS v LIONS at AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 3.30pm
Last meeting: Crusaders 32 bt Lions 20 at Johannesburg

The third-placed Crusaders are one of the hottest favourites in the history of Super rugby against the hapless Lions. Richie McCaw’s men have quickly got their act together since being upset by Queensland in round two. While the Cantabrians overpowered the Chiefs last week, the Lions leaked 73 points against NSW. Dan Carter is 34 points from Stirling Mortlock’s Super point-scoring record and could just get it here.

Sports Alive: Crusaders $1.01, Crusaders $21
Tip: Crusaders by 33

HIGHLANDERS v SHARKS at Carisbrook, Dunedin at 5.35pm
Last meeting: Sharks 23 bt Highlanders 15 at Durban

Rumours of rifts in the ranks continue to dog the Sharks in their five-match win-less start to 2010. While they have been competitive in every match, highlighted by close losses to the Brumbies and NSW, they haven’t been able to get over the line. They will like their chances against the Highlanders who conceded 50 points to the Bulls last week. But the Otago team is at home and have key men Jimmy Cowan, Adam Thomson and Michael Hobbs back on board. Hobbs has moved back to inside centre for Robbie robinson to call the shots at five-eighth.

Sports Alive: Highlanders $2.15, Sharks $1.70

Tip: Sharks by 12

WESTERN FORCE v NSW WARATAHS at ME Bank Stadium, Perth at 10.10pm
Last meeting: Force 15 bt Waratahs 14 at Sydney

The Force will be hungry to bounce back from their thrashing by Queensland while the Waratahs will try to build on their record-breaking performance against the Lions. The injury-hit Perth franchise are still looking for their first point of the season and a loss will complete a full slate of defeats by their domestic rivals. Force coach John Mitchell showed enormous faith in his side by naming an unchanged line-up, though injuries forced Wallabies front-rowers Pek Cowan and Matt Dunning off the bench. The Waratahs also named an unchanged side, though injury queries still hover over prop Al Baxter and No.8 Wycliff Palu.

Sports Alive: Force $5, Waratahs $1.17
Tip: Waratahs by 11

SUNDAY
STORMERS v CHEETAHS at Newlands, Cape Town at 2.05am

Last meeting: Stormers 28 bt Cheetahs 22 at Bloemfontein

The impressive second-placed Stormers will be looking to build on some strong home form by adding the Cheetahs to their list of early season victims before they head to Australasia. Their only loss this season was a last-gasp defeat to the Brumbies while the perennial battling Cheetahs have a respectable 2-2 record. Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has made some changes to his backline, replacing injured young inside centre Juan de Jongh. The Cheetahs have won two of their four encounters with the Stormers since returning to Super rugby in 2006.

Sports Alive: Stormers $1.18, Cheetahs $4.75
Tip: Stormers by 9.

Bye: Queensland Reds, Chiefs.

41 points was all that the Crusaders required for a 4th place finish in last year’s edition of the competition.

41 points also saw the Hurricanes through in 2008.

The magic number was 42 for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in 2007. In 2006 the Bulls needed just 38 points.

The Sharks sit on 4 points, with 8 games in hand.

That means they need at least 37 points from their remaining games – that’s 8 wins, 5 with a bonus point. Thinking back to last year, the Sharks had an unbeaten 7 game streak before collapsing.

Perhaps this year, they’re doing it in reverse.

So, all you Sharks fans and players, don’t give up just yet! Just 8 more wins and you’ll be back where you belong, joining the Bulls, Stormers and Crusaders in the semis.

They’ll kick on with a big win over the Highlanders this week, rising one spot in the log, and move on from there.

Is this the last of Wilko?

I don’t believe so. Not unless England picks somebody for the June tests in Perth and Sydney who shows that he can consistently kick penalties and droppies for 3 points.

Will it be Toby Flood? Maybe, if he’s still in the team, and if he can perform with the boot in internationals. Or somebody else if they look like becoming a Matt Burke or an Andrew Mehrtens.

Failing that, England will take Wilko because they’ll put up with his poor punting, own-head-banging tackles and trouble running the line in exchange for grabbing those penalty points.

Coaches and selectors are never more conservative than they are when they’re ramping up for a RWC.

In my honest opinion, Wilko will make the squad and the quarters if England can get out of their pool without drowning.

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Armitage’s departure from the England squad ahead of Wednesday’s team announcement by manager Martin Johnson saw the fullback pay the price for a slump in form which continued during last weekend’s 15-15 draw away to Scotland at Murrayfield – a match where neither side managed a single try.

Also out of contention for the Stade de France clash against Grand Slam chasing France is wing Ugo Monye who suffered a neck injury in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup draw.

England also have injury concerns over captain Steve Borthwick (knee) and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who sustained a couple of heavy blows to the head at Murrayfield but the duo remain with the squad.

In all 11 players have been released back to their clubs. That effectively leaves Johnson with a matchday 22, although England’s 2003 World Cup winning captain has still to unveil his starting XV and seven replacements.

Foden, who has made three Test appearances off the bench, is widely regarded as the kind of player who could inject some much needed sharpness into England’s misfiring attack.

He could be joined by Northampton colleague Chris Ashton, a former rugby league player, who will be in contention to fill the wing berth vacated by Monye.

And even if Wilkinson is fit, his place could be taken by Toby Flood.

Meanwhile World Cup winning centre Mike Tindall, who has only recently returned from injury, could make a dramatic return to the side in a bid to stiffen an England back division sure to be tested by the pace and power of giant French midfielder Mathieu Bastareaud.

Up front, flanker Lewis Moody is challenging for a recall while veteran lock Simon Shaw is set for a starting spot after recovering from a shoulder injury.

“It is not about chopping and changing on a whim because that doesn’t do anyone any good,” said Johnson.

“We have got to pick a team to win every individual game.”

The match against the Brumbies will be the All Black hooker’s 100th for the Blues, extending the franchise record he broke when he got to 98 in the win over the Reds at Ballymore last month.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it would be nice to celebrate after we’ve got the job done,” he said.

“We’ve got a big task in front of us and making sure we do that well is very important.”

Mealamu’s Super rugby debut came against the Brumbies 10 years ago and his total number of appearances stands at 110, the balance coming from a season he spent with the Chiefs in 2002.

His favourite memory from all those matches comes as little surprise — the Blues’ 21-17 win over the Crusaders in the 2003 final.

“That’s my only championship,” he said.

“It stands out because it was at Eden Park as well, in front of our home crowd. It was a special moment for me.”

The upcoming Blues-Brumbies clash comes on the eve of Mealamu’s 31st birthday.

It will also be the first Super 14 fixture of the season at Eden Park, where the capacity has been reduced to 17,500 because of redevelopment work ahead of the 2011 World Cup.

The Blues, who are coming off their bye, head into the contest back in 10th spot on the points table with a 2-2 win-loss record.

The Brumbies are fifth, with four wins and a solitary loss to the competition leaders and defending champions the Bulls.

One of the feature match-ups will be in the front row, where the Blues’ all-All Black combination of Tony Woodcock, Mealamu and John Afoa will be up against the Brumbies’ all-Wallaby trio of Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore and Salesi Ma’afu.

“Definitely there’ll be a bit of banter up the front there,” Mealamu said.

“That’s the awesome thing about this competition. You’re playing against quality opposition all the time.”

Mealamu said the Blues wouldn’t be lacking motivation after having had the week off.

“It’s hard having to sit back and watch everyone get points the board,” he said.

“The boys are definitely excited. I know they’ll be up for it.”

The Blues have made one change to their starting 15, with All Black Isaia Toeva coming back from a hip injury.

Toeava will make his return not at centre, where he started the season, but at fullback, with Paul Williams dropping to the bench.

The Brumbies will be without veteran Wallaby centre Stirling Mortlock, who is being rested as a precaution after suffering a neck/shoulder injury in the 24-22 win over the Sharks last weekend.

Despite some injury concerns it is the third week in a row that coach Chris Hickey has retained the same 22-man squad.

Hickey said that he was monitoring the work load of players like loose forward Cliff Palu (hamstring) and prop Al Baxter (calf) but was happy for the pair to play.

The Waratahs will go in as warm favourites despite playing away after their record 73-12 romp against the Lions while the Force are 0-4 this season and come into the match on the back of a 50-10 hiding against the Reds.

Hickey said he’d been just as impressed with his side’s defence as the attack despite last week’s scoreline.

“It’s only natural that when you score 11 tries that people will tend to focus on that aspect of the game, and while it is definitely something we’re proud of, we were also quite happy with our defensive effort,” Hickey said.

“Going into the match our defensive record was not as strong as it has been in recent seasons, however we believe we’re starting to make progress there, and we’ll need to make more progress this weekend.”

He was expecting a close match despite the Force’s playing woes, and a difficult run with injuries in 2010.

“You can’t assume anything going into these all-Australian matches,” Hickey said.

“Last year we were six places ahead of the Force on the ladder and they beat us by a point, so we’re definitely not going to be starting the match with any level of complacency.”

Meanwhile Australian sevens captain and backrower Patrick McCutcheon has signed a two-year Super 14 contract with the Waratahs.

NSW: Sosene Anesi, Lachie Turner, Tom Carter, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Daniel Halangahu, Luke Burgess, Wycliff Palu, Phil Waugh (capt), Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Dean Mumm, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: Damien Fitzpatrick, Sekope Kepu, Will Caldwell, Ben Mowen, Josh Holmes, Kurtley Beale, Rob Horne.

Shepherdson will stay in Canberra and play for the Brumby Runners against West Harbour instead of packing down against the Blues in Auckland after being completely usurped at tight-head by Salesi Ma’afu.

The Brumbies’ signing of rookie Waratahs front-rower Dan Palmer for the 2011 Super 15 has put added heat on the 28-year-old prop.

Shepherdson is contracted until next year but has an option in his favour which the ACT franchise is aware he may act upon.

One most obvious Australian option, which would allow a tilt at the 2011 World Cup, is expansion club Melbourne Rebels but chief executive Brian Waldron on Wednesday said he wasn’t on their radar.

Shepherdson started the Super 14 season with the No.3 jersey against the Western Force but was dropped for round two and Ma’afu has locked down the tight-head position.

Coach Andy Friend said Wednesday’s decision to put Fiji-born Jerry Yanuyanutawa on the bench ahead of Shepherdson was designed to give him much-needed game time.

“Shep hasn’t played a great deal of rugby in the last couple of weeks just given the way I’ve used the bench so this week there’s an opportunity to play 80 minutes for the Runners,” Friend said.

“For his game I felt it was the best thing to get back in there.

“He was our starting tight-head prop last year and I thought he was the best tight-head in the country. He needs to try to find that form again.”

Since the last World Cup, where Australia was outscrummed by England in their quarter-final upset, Shepherdson has fallen well down the pecking order behind Brumbies teammates Ben Alexander and Ma’afu, Waratahs duo Al Baxter and Sekope Kepu, Queensland’s Laurie Weeks and also Matt Dunning at the Western Force.

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Hardman still has the desire and drive to see out his 12-season Super rugby career as a starting player but the 141-cap Queensland stalwart is pleased young rake Saia Faingaa has epitomised the born-again Reds.

Faingaa and his twin Anthony started the retention ball rolling for Queensland on Wednesday when they re-signed for a further two seasons.

The pair, two of 23 off-contract Reds at Ballymore in 2010, have gone from unreliable fringe players to in-form starters as the Reds have enjoyed an exciting 3-2 start under Ewen McKenzie.

Since being injured in the opening round 30-28 loss to NSW, Hardman has had to bide his time on the bench behind Saia Faingaa, 23.

“He’s an example of a few guys who have relished the new regime and the new beginning for the Reds,” said the 32-year-old former Wallaby. “There’s a definite feel about the place and guys are putting their hands up and benefiting from it.

“Having said that I’d like to push my case to be back in the starting side. I’m not here just making up the numbers.

“But I’d much rather have that challenge with Saia here and fighting for that spot.”

Hardman’s importance to the Reds was shown when he was virtually begged to play an extra season last year after they plunged to second last.

He followed that up by talking star three-quarter Digby Ioane into re-signing.

Hardman’s not on the hustings again in his swansong season as he believes the change in attitude and results under McKenzie speaks for itself.

Even though tight-five starters Laurie Weeks and Adam Byrnes have reportedly committed to the new Melbourne Rebels franchise, the front-rower would be surprised if any Reds chose to leave.

“I’d be sure to say players always want to be part of a team moving forward and having momentum,” he said.

“While it’s only a start and we’re not a world-beating team yet the guys can feel that energy at the moment and that’s going to be very attractive and there’s going to be guys in other states keeping an eye on what’s going on here.”

Hardman has played under seven coaches at the Reds, starting with John Connolly in 1999, and said there was growing club culture with McKenzie at the helm.

“I think there’s a level of accountability that we haven’t had before and Ewen has brought a lot of intensity to the playing group,” he said.

“It’s pretty clear that if you put in the effort the opportunities and rewards will come.

“I think a lot of us appreciate his brutal honesty – it’s something I haven’t seen since the last time we made a hit at the finals way back when.”