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Brace yourselves Reds, the real Israel Folau is back and ready to cut loose at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
The last Super Rugby round before the finals has been billed as a Wallaby World Cup selection trial – but it’s a helluva lot more important than that.
If the Waratahs beat the Reds and score four or more tries, the reigning champions will finish on top of the Australian conference no matter what the Brumbies do against the Crusaders.
The Waratahs and Brumbies are on 47 points, but the Waratahs are on top having won 10 games, the Brumbies nine.
The conference winner will have a timely week off, then play a home semi-final – a huge bonus.
Enter Israel Folau, stage left.
Last week, the high-flying fullback broke a long drought by scoring three scintillating tries against the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein.
So why had he only scored two tries in the previous 14 rounds?
“I thought overall it was a great team performance, and I was just lucky enough to feed off that energy, and get some space out wide,” was the humble Folau’s response
If the Wallaby-laden Waratah backline gives Folau the same space on Saturday night, it’s all over red rover.
The key will be inside-centre Kurtley Beale, and to a lesser extent pivot Bernard Foley. The trio had big games in Bloemfontein and must click again, or the Brumbies will pinch the conference.
But the Brumbies will have their hands full with the normally all-conquering Crusaders, who have missed the finals for the first time since 2001.
There’s Crusader pride and passion at stake – a dangerous combination with two of their favourite sons in Richie McCaw and Dan Carter playing their last games in red and black.
That will be a classic confrontation, but the Waratahs vs Reds clash offers more.
Folau apart, Beale’s head-to-head with the exciting Samu Kerevi tops the list, closely followed by the number 9s, Nick Phipps and Will Genia, and the 10s, Foley and Quade Cooper.
Mouth-watering.
Up front, the 7s – Michael Hooper and Liam Gill – will be massive, with Hooper losing a lot of ground to David Pocock of late, while Gill hasn’t had a bad game all season despite playing in a losing side.
Add the locks – behemoth Will Skelton back from suspension and skipper Dave Dennis clashing with James Horwill and Rob Simmons – and there’s much on offer.
I can’t wait for this game which, for some unfathomable reason, has been down-played by the media all week.
But come Saturday night, the two teams will demand attention and hopefully a 30,000-plus crowd will add to the atmosphere.