KEY POINTS:
If Auckland lift the Ranfurly Shield in Christchurch tonight, don't be surprised if head coach Pat Lam tips his hat to his assistant Shane Howarth.
The former All Blacks fullback is very much the backplay guru in the Auckland setup.
Howarth's key role is to scrutinise opponents for
weaknesses the scintillating Auckland back division can expose. Howarth then drills the backs on the approach to adopt during the match.
He has had some impressive successes.
In round three when Auckland put 47 points past defending champions Waikato at Eden Park, Lam was quick to credit Howarth with providing the key the team used to unlock Waikato's rush defence.
Tonight, Howarth thinks he has identified two key areas where Canterbury could be vulnerable.
But he's not about to say what they are. "I'll tell you on Saturday night at about 10pm," he said. "When you analyse teams you go through where you think they have weaknesses - this has been the hardest week because they don't have many weaknesses.
"I'm not going to tell you now but we have got a couple of areas [to target] and we have got to hope it works."
Whether or not Auckland are packing a silver bullet for their trip south remains to be seen.
But Howarth knows the margin for error the side has enjoyed against lesser opponents this season will be absent in Christchurch. "She is going to be tough, there is no doubt about that. There is not going to be the kind of leeway we've had in the two weeks leading up to this.
"If we make simple errors they will punish us. We are really working on trying to control the ball properly. We get into this 50-50 game at times - we can't afford to do that. We can't give them those kind of opportunities.
"We have got to be sharp in what we do. In the last two weeks we have lacked that killer edge and sharpness in our backline in terms of passing and our alignment. We can't afford that [tonight]."
Lam has named his strongest line-up for the match, opting for a rejuvenated Troy Flavell at blindside flanker, with Jerome Kaino switching to No 8 and Brad Mika relegated to the bench.
By his own standards, Flavell has been a touch subdued this campaign.
There's been nothing wrong with the standard of his play, but the fiery outbursts that can make him one of rugby's more intimidating characters have been largely absent.
But with the shield - a trophy Flavell failed to win in three attempts with North Harbour - up for grabs, there is every chance Angry Troy might resurface
"I am getting up for this game," he said.
"We have got to be physical with these guys and play that aggressive style of rugby. Obviously ruck time is a key area for the Cantabs to get a lot of their plays started from so we'll be looking to disrupt them when we can."
In a classic contest that pits Auckland's flair against Canterbury's control and poise, Flavell is backing flair to win out.
"I think we can give these guys a good nudge for it.
"They are very rigid and structured in their play. Defensively they don't fall off too many tackles. Against other sides gaps open up, but these guys will be very structured, so we have to play around that."
Canterbury
Scott Hamilton
Rico Gear
Casey Laulala
Hamish Gard
Paul Williams
Stephen Brett
Kevin Senio
Mose Tuiali'i
Hayden Hopgood
Kieran Read
Kevin O'Neill
Michael Paterson
C. Johnstone
Corey Flynn (c)
Ben Franks
Auckland
Brent Ward
David Smith
Ben Atiga
Sam Tuitupou (c)
Benson Stanley
Isa Nacewa
Taniela Moa
Jerome Kaino
Daniel Braid
Troy Flavell
Jay Williams
Kurtis Haiu
John Afoa
Tom McCartney
S. Taumoepeau
Canterbury: Mikaele Tuu'u, Mike Smith, Isaac Ross, James Broadhurst, Tyson Keats, Ben Nowell, Steven Yates.
Auckland: Nick White, Chris Heard, Angus Macdonald, Brad Mika, Grayson Hart, Lachie Munro, Tasesa Lavea.
