Miles Harrison cannot wait to see the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Tendai Mtawarira at Twickenham.
Super Rugby comes to Twickenham!
Excitement and expectations are running high as the Crusaders and Sharks head to Twickenham for a historic Super Rugby clash.
The AMI Stadium was badly damaged in last month's Christchurch earthquake forcing the Crusaders to find other venues for their home games. With so many expats living in the UK, Twickenham was chosen as the first venue outside of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to host a Super Rugby game.
While the match will be the centrepiece of a major weekend of fundraising by the Red Cross Earthquake appeal, this is no exhibition match with crucial points up for grabs for both sides.
The two teams boast some prodigious talent with some of the biggest names in world rugby and Miles Harrison cannot wait to see them bring the Super Rugby brand to Twickenham.
The Crusaders squad is full of superstars but one name keeps popping up and that is Sonny Bill Williams. How excited are you to see him play at Twickenham?
MILES REPLIES: Sonny Bill Williams is playing really well, as are the Crusaders in general. Over the last couple of weeks they have really put together some strong performances and yes, if I had to pick one player that I am very excited about seeing this weekend it would be Sonny Bill. He is making such an impact at the moment and is a real headline maker. But, with the Crusaders it is never just about one player - when you have the likes of Richie McCaw - who is unfortunately injured for this game - Dan Carter, Kieran Reid and Brad Thorn in your team there is a lot of quality knocking around!
How much has Williams' ability to offload the ball been a key component in Sean Maitland topping the try-scorer's list with Israel Dagg and Robbi Fruean in joint second?
MILES REPLIES: The likes of of Fruean, Dagg and Maitland are no doubt benefiting from the way SBW gets the ball out of the tackle. But Fruean's physical presence will also concentrate the mind of the opposition and he is also creating moments for Williams in return - it is not just a one way street. It is a very threatening back line all the way. Andrew Ellis is a good solid half back and, of course, there's that man Dan Carter. The Sharks cannot afford to concentrate just on the one man as there are threats coming from all over the place.
The Sharks have been doing pretty well too though - they had a bit of a slip up against the Chiefs but they also have some quality players.
MILES REPLIES: They have made a good start generally. The SA record for points on tour in the Super Rugby tournament stands at 16 - they have already accrued 11 in their first three tour games this season.
It is a pity they have lost fly-half Pat Lambie but they have plenty of classy players aside from the young fly-half. We have looked at the Crusaders backs but what about the Sharks forwards - they have the likes of Bismarck du Plessis John Smit and Alistair Hargreaves who is going very well indeed. I really like the look of Keegan Daniel, who punches above his weight. Of course, Willem Alberts has been in great form this season too. With the injury to Juan Smith I expect South Africa will be looking very closely at Alberts. And we have not even mentioned the Beast yet! I think from a crowd point of view that the player who they would love to see have a run so that they could shout his name would be Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira. When that happens, that will be a genuine Super Rugby moment brought to these shores.
Not only is it a great day out for rugby but there is a serious side as to why this game is being played at Twickenham.
MILES REPLIES: Yes, this is all being done for very good reason. At the press conference on Tuesday Todd Blackadder spoke very well about the impact the earthquake has made back home. His words really made you stop and think. At times like this it is important to put things in perspective. In sport, you hear that this or that result is 'vital' but it isn't really is it? Certainly it isn't in comparison to what has happened in New Zealand and Japan recently. These are the things that are 'vital'. However, sport is a force to make people feel a little bit better and this game certainly can make a difference by raising some much needed funds. The Crusaders would love to put a smile on their fans faces by getting a win on the other side of the world too.
Can the Sharks manage to beat the Crusaders?
MILES REPLIES: Moving the game to Twickenham has made it into a neutral venue and because of that it could be a really open contest. It has a Cup Final feel to it. There are plenty of these Sharks players who have performed well at Twickenham in Springbok colours so there is no reason why they should not do it again in the colours of the Sharks. The Crusaders will start as favourites, and I would go for them at this stage too, but I think what we are sure to see are two big performances from these teams on what should be a great day for rugby.
Tickets for the Crusaders v Sharks at Twickenham on March 27 (4pm kick-off) can be purchased online via rfu.com/tickets or by telephone 0844 847 2492.
