Preview - Barbarians v New Zealand

Which try? Ah, THAT try!

Think of the Baa-baas, then think of the All Blacks, and the image that comes to the mind's eye is a little hirsute Welshman diving spectacularly over the whitewash at Cardiff Arms Park. Strange logic, but you must learn to expect the unexpected when it comes to the Barbarians.

Memories of Gareth Edward's beautiful try - that try - have accompanied clubhouse beers for the past 30 years, but rugby fans should have something fresh to toast come Saturday evening, because Baa-baas coach Bob Dwyer has assembled a lethal-looking team.

Made up of the cream of southern hemisphere rugby, the famous invitational side packs the kind of offensive clout that would make George Bush drool, and the team will be gagging to unleash a plague of tries all over the All Blacks.

Of course, cynics have dismissed this game as a jumped-up Wallaby trial, believing that Dwyer - the former Wallaby coach - has acquiesced to a few requests from current Australia boss Eddie Jones.

There could be a hint of truth in this, as suggested by the selection of Matt Giteau at fly-half, not to mention Lote Tuquiri's appearance in midfield; two options that Jones has wanted to explore for a long time.

But does it really matter if Jones has stuck his oar in? After all, the Baa-baas ethos is all about bringing the best in the business together, and this is what Dwyer has done. Granted, there's only one European in the squad, but the absence of the northern stars is understandable and entirely proper - after all, the Heineken Cup is not small beer.

But don't expect this to be damp knock-around. The Baa-baas' desire to give the New Zealanders a poke in the eye is intense - fuelled by the hammering the tourists gave France in Paris last weekend, and the self-congratulatory chat that followed.

Sure, most of the applause was fully justified - it was an awesome display. But the crowing that cropped up in the New Zealand press - 'no one can beat us now' (have we heard this one before?), 'Henry's plan clicks' etc. - will have stoked the Baa-baas' fire.

But can a scratch team really pull off a win over the undisputed No.1 rugby team on earth?

Well, the All Blacks' brief moments of vulnerability seem to have a habit of cropping up when they are at their cock-sure best, so who knows?

We said it before and we'll say it again - you never know what to expect when the Baa-baas are in town.

Players to watch:

For the Barbarians: Where does one start? We've probably overdone Burger in the last week (and the lame puns) so we'll plump for Matt Giteau. The Wallaby has long been the darling of the South, but last week he made the North sit up and take notice after a fine performance against England. The world champions were left clutching at thin air as the young ACT star went through his full array of tricks - masterful breaks, magic sleight of hand, running-lines that could split diamonds and one sublime one-handed pick-up that would have left Don Juan green with envy. This boy is sheer class.

For New Zealand: Former New Zealand skipper Reuben Thorne must have thought his days in black were over when he fell out of favour following the 2003 Rugby World Cup. But you can't keep a good man down, and some fine NPC performances with Canterbury saw the big forward winging his way to Europe - albeit as a late injury replacement for Jono Gibbes. International rugby doesn't offer up too many second bites at the cherry, and Thorne will be eager to justify his recall.

Head to head: There are two that stick out like sore thumbs - Justin Marshall v Jimmy Cowan and Xavier Rush v Steven Bates. All Blacks v All Blacks. Marshall and Rush will both be eagar to re-establish their credentials in front of the New Zealand selectors after missing out on the tour - and what an opportunity it is!. Cowan and Bates are hardly their top contenders for those All Black jerseys, so Marshall and Rush will really need to destroy the up-starts if they want to challenge the boys further up Henry's pecking order.

Prediction: Fun and games, and plenty of battles within the battle - but New Zealand organisation will win the day.
Planet Rugby Prediction: New Zealand by 14 points.

The teams:

Barbarians: 15 Mat Rogers (Australia), 14 Chris Latham (Australia), 13 Lote Tuqiri (Australia), 12 Morgan Turinui (Australia), 11 Sireli Bobo (Fiji), 10 Matt Giteau (Australia), 9 Justin Marshall (captain, New Zealand), 8 Xavier Rush (New Zealand), 7 Phil Waugh (vice-captain, Australia), 6 Schalk Burger (South Africa), 5 Albert Van Den Bergh (South Africa), 4 Daniel Vickerman (Australia), 3 Faan Rautenbach (South Africa), 2 Brendan Cannon (Australia), 1 Bill Young (Australia).
Replacements: 16 Gary Botha (uncapped), 17Andrea Lo Cicero (Italy), 18 AJ Venter (South Africa), 19 Radike Samo (Australia), 20 Werner Greef (South Africa), 21 Gcobani Bobo (South Africa), 22 Aisea Tuilevo (Fiji).

New Zealand: 15 Malili Muliaina (Auckland), 14 Doug Howlett (Auckland), 13 Casey Laulala (Canterbury), 12 Ma'a Nonu (Wellington), 11 Rico Gear (North Harbour), 10 Aaron Mauger (Canterbury, capt), 9 Jimmy Cowan (Southland), 8 Steven Bates (Waikato), 7 Marty Holah (Waikato), 6 Jerome Kaino (Auckland), 5 Ali Williams (Auckland), 4 Reuben Thorne (Canterbury), 3 Greg Somerville (Canterbury), 2 Corey Flynn (Canterbury), 1 Saimone Taumoepeau (Auckland).
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu (Auckland), 17 Carl Hayman (Otago), 18 Chris Jack (Canterbury), 19 Mose Tuiali'i (Auckland), 20 Piri Weepu (Wellington), 21 Tana Umaga (Wellington), 22 Daniel Carter (Canterbury).

Date: December 4, 2004
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT
Venue: Twickenham
Conditions: Overcast, damp - max 6°C, min 6°C.
Referee: Andy Turner (South Africa)
Touch judges: Tappe Henning (South Africa), Ashley Reay (England)
Assessor: Jim Fleming (Scotland)