Waratahs 28 Sharks 13

WARATAHS coach Ewen McKenzie has branded the Super 14 final against six-time champions the Crusaders as the "ultimate challenge", for which he has yearned since starting as coach five years ago.

The Waratahs lost their only previous Super final, against the Crusaders in 2005, but McKenzie says Saturday's decider deserves a higher billing. Many would agree - this is set to be a swansong for both McKenzie and Crusaders counterpart Robbie Deans in Super rugby.

For McKenzie, there is extra significance. The sides go into the final knowing more about each other's game than ever before. They have played each other twice every year since 2005 - once in pre-season and once in the regular season. And while the pre-season match is a trial, its status as the Rotomahana Challenge since 2006 has helped give it some edge.

"You want to play the best team as often as you can, so every season I've been here I've wanted to play the Crusaders three times - [in the] Rotomahana, round robin and then finals," McKenzie said yesterday following the Waratahs' 28-13 win over the Sharks on Saturday night.

"To get the third game against them is terrific because they've been the best team. History shows that.

"You've got to want to play the best teams. You don't want to be going out there and playing the teams that are there or thereabouts. And it's no different to the Wallabies playing the All Blacks. We play them twice as often as everybody and we get a result from a rugby point of view. You learn."

McKenzie does not read anything into the Crusaders' fluctuating form this year. They still finished on top of the ladder after 14 rounds, with 11 wins and two losses, and on Saturday booked their home final with a 33-22 win against the Hurricanes. However, the win was not without a price, with hooker Corey Flynn ruled out of the final after leaving the field in the 12th minute with a broken arm.

"The Crusaders are the masters of doing what you have to do. That was a tough game for them," McKenzie said of their semi-final win, in which the score did not reflect the Crusaders' dominance. "They were coming off a loss [against the Highlanders in round 14]. It is a tough local derby. They were very methodical. Reality is that the score was 33-8 [not 33-22]. There were a couple of tries near the end … It was trademark Crusaders. They find ways to win. That is why they are such a good team."

The Waratahs will have learnt a lot about the Crusaders from their round-six game, which NSW lost 34-7 in Christchurch. But the Crusaders have honed new tactics and tricks, McKenzie says.

"They will try and beat you through fatigue. They will try and beat you through their kicking game. They will try and beat you through their running game," he said. "Even the pick and drive game. Everyone talks of [how] they were a team that worked off turnovers. Now they have a very direct pick-and-drive approach that has served them well in tight moments."

So can the Waratahs really go all the way? Will the occasion get the better of them, as it did in 2005? McKenzie believes the Waratahs deserve to be in the final, contrary to the opinion of his detractors who point to last season's failings when NSW finished 13th, their worst year.

"I feel this is where we are supposed to be. I don't give a stuff about what people say about 2007 - 2007 wasn't us," McKenzie said. "The last 12 months has been about us getting us back to where I thought we are good enough to be … in the finals. And we are. I don't feel lucky or whatever, that this is some magical or mystery fairytale. Whether we are good enough to win it, that is a different story. But I feel we should be in the top mix."