Change of venue for Super 15 final delights Crusaders
Waratahs choose ‘away’ option, hoping to halt 10 years of losses against New Zealand glamour side
The New South Wales Waratahs are praying for a change of luck while the Canterbury Crusaders cannot believe their good fortune heading into Saturday's Super Rugby final.
It has been 10 years since the Waratahs last beat Super Rugby's glamour side and in their attempt to arrest that long run of losses they have opted not to play at their favourite home ground.
The decision to shift the final from Allianz Stadium, where the Waratahs are unbeaten this year, to the bigger ANZ Stadium has been seized on by the Crusaders as a gift.
History has tended to lead to the conclusion that we won’t deliver on the day
"There is no way I would ever give up home advantage to anyone," Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said. "I don't think it will make a difference to them ... but for us it is just the psychological aspect. Going to a neutral stadium is just fantastic."
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has sidestepped talk about venues and an unfavourable history against the Crusaders, saying it was a matter of how his charges performed tomorrow that counted.
"History has tended to lead to the conclusion that we won't deliver on the day," he said.
"What we've got to do is go out there and up our game, improve from last week in certain areas and see if that's good enough."