Rugby: A semifinal that offers glimpse of World Cup final

Richie McCaw heads a string of Crusaders who, barring injury, are a shoo-in for the Cup. Photo / Getty Images

For those unimpressed by semifinals, who need more than the cut-throat world of knockout rugby, there's an obvious World Cup subtext to Sunday morning's clash.

There's nothing wrong with that. Watching this match through the prism of a tournament that does not kick off for 70 more days is okay.

Reading the World Cup tea leaves will in itself become the national sport over the next two months. In this case it's more justified than usual.

All things being equal on the injury front, the Crusaders will be the spine - and more - of the All Blacks charge.

Owen Franks, Brad Thorn, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Daniel Carter are as near to certain starters in a Graham Henry 1st XV as you can get.

Ben Franks (particularly with Tony Woodcock's ongoing injury concerns), Sam Whitelock, Andy Ellis and Sonny Bill Williams are equally certain of a place in the World Cup squad and will press hard for starting spots.

No certainty, but a great deal of hope hovers over Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett, Matt Todd, Sean Maitland, Zac Guildford and even the suddenly unfashionable - among media pundits at least - but still highly effective attacker Robbie Fruean.

Turn to the Stormers and they are laden with Boks. Think Schalk Burger, Andries Bekker, Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana et al.

While the Bulls are recognised as the standard-bearer of South African rugby and the team whose style Peter de Villiers will look to implement at the World Cup, the Stormers template perhaps better marries the physical traditions of the Bulls and Boks and the mobility demands of the modern game.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has indicated a conservative, test-style approach in naming Conrad Jantjies at fullback ahead of livewire Gio Aplon.

"When you are looking to attack Gio is the better choice but this is a playoff game," Coetzee said. "Conrad has got a big boot, he has been in big games before and ... if we need any impact on attack we can still make the switch."

With Peter Grant kicking at nearly 85 per cent, there are few secrets to the home side's blueprint. Kick for territory, force mistakes, keep nudging the score along in threes.

"One thing about playing against the Crusaders is that you have to have patience to break them down," Coetzee said. "You won't score with the first line break. Scores will come from sustained pressure.

"So the guys cannot become erratic and move the ball without a plan."

In other words, test match footy. Which points to this being a better World Cup guide than the Tri Nations, with the likelihood that some experimental lineups - particularly out of the Republic - and game plans that will fail the full disclosure test in that abbreviated tournament.

So you can make a case this is a decent enough dress rehearsal, albeit in different costumes and half a world away from where the tournament is.

The Crusaders have been good against South African opposition this season, although they'd like their effort against the Cheetahs to be scrubbed as a mulligan, coming as it did on the heels of their high-attrition win against the Stormers in round 12.

They've dealt convincingly with the Sharks twice, held the once-mighty Bulls to a goose-egg in Timaru, did not have the pleasure of the Lions company and beat the Stormers.

With South Africans viewing the Crusaders in the same way New Zealanders once viewed the Bulls - as a microcosm of the test team - a Stormers win would ease nerves on that side of the world as much as it would fray those of jumpier types here.

A Crusaders win, by contrast, would not be so revealing. Much of the Springboks punch and direction is still expected to come from lock Victor Matfield, No 8 Pierre Spies and the halves of Fourie du Preez and Morne Steyn. All Bulls.

That's a lot of experience and nous, even if Matfield is on a slippery slope and Spies seems to save his worst for the All Blacks.

South Africans, while they would be disappointed the Crusaders had been able to able to buck the trend of teams travelling around the world to lose playoff games, could at least point to the fact the Stormers are not as representative of the Springboks as the Crusaders are of the All Blacks.

Small comfort perhaps, but it's everyone's duty to leap to conclusions.