Crusaders in a good frame of mind
May 15 2008
Super 14 leaders the Crusaders could be forgiven if their concentration levels slipped a little against the lowly-placed Highlanders at AMI Stadium on Saturday.
With a home semi-final in the bag, the traditional southern derby with their old rivals - placed third to last and out of contention - might be seen as having little significance.
But departing Crusaders coach Robbie Deans wasn't buying into that after the team's training run on Thursday.
"It's got huge significance for us," Deans told AAP.
"We want to come out of this game in a really good frame of mind, and the key to that is entering it in a good frame of mind. It's our last workout prior to the play-offs.
"Sure, we have the luxury of knowing we've got a play-off, but the critical thing is being prepared for that and being in the best state of mind and body."
Top of the table on 52 points, the Crusaders head into the final Super 14 round robin this week secure in the knowledge they cannot be dislodged.
But the remaining three semi-final qualifiers have yet to be decided.
The Hurricanes (40 points), the Waratahs (39) and the Stormers (37) are the current front runners to complete the last four but all three could be displaced if they slip up.
Deans said he wanted to use the Highlanders encounter to "address our habits".
He said there was "some good stuff" in last week's come-from-behind 27-21 win over the Reds in Brisbane.
"There was some pretty average stuff as well and we want to just shift the pendulum a bit further along," said Deans.
While acknowledging the Highlanders had always been a "particularly difficult" opponent over the years with the derby element adding some fire to the contest, he said he wasn't too concerned with what the Southerners would bring to Saturday's match.
"It's what we bring to the game that's our priority this week," said Deans.