Ralph's nightmare - outrun or run over

Caleb Ralph

Given the choice, Caleb Ralph would rather tackle a big, direct-running rugby opponent than a smaller, unpredictable, jack-rabbit side-stepper.

He believes that on Friday night he will get a mixture of both when he lines up against Wellington captain Ma'a Nonu in the Ranfurly Shield defence at Jade Stadium.

The teams will be released today, but it's expected Canterbury's Ralph will again be named in his new second five-eighths position to face Nonu.

At 1.87m, Ralph is 5cm taller than Nonu, but at 95kg he gives away at least 7kg to his burly opponent who has an attacking reputation of being able to gas around some players while steamrolling over the unluckier ones.

"A big guy that runs straight [is easier to defend against] but Ma'a is good at both," Ralph said.

"He's got the ability to run straight and change direction quite quickly - so it's a challenge.

"I've marked him a couple of times. It's definitely a different kettle of fish against that Wellington backline because of their attacking firepower."

Like Ralph, Nonu has experienced highs and lows at international level over the past two years. Both prefer the midfield, despite having spent much of their time on the wing.

They last directly opposed each other on the wings in last year's NPC final and, although Nonu made several of his trademark rampaging runs that night, it was Ralph who carried the biggest smile after Canterbury eased home with a 40-27 win.

While Wellington won't have Tana Umaga back, they will have fellow All Black Conrad Smith at centre, but whether their backs can continually threaten the defence will likely depend on whether their scrum can match Canterbury's power.

Ralph noted Canterbury's tackling was one of the most pleasing aspects of last weekend's win over Waikato, but added that the work of the forward pack helped pay dividends on the scoreboard.

Few changes are expected to the side who beat Waikato, but Wyatt Crockett is likely to make way for returning All Black Greg Somerville at loosehead prop. Andrew Ellis deserves another shot at halfback and rookie Craig Clarke should again partner Kevin O'Neill at lock.

- NZPA