Battle of wings should be treat

All Black wing Doug Howlett is expecting to mark Wallaby thunderflash Lote Tuqiri tonight in Sydney.

If that duel pans out in the last round of Super 12 pool matches, it will absorb the crowd and snap a pattern of roving commissions for Tuqiri.

The wing usually wears number 11 on his jersey but Blues flyer Joe Rokocoko reckoned he usually encountered the speeding Tuqiri.

"He has changed a bit in the past but I am expecting to be up against him this time though," Howlett said.

"On form, Lote is a world-class player who has worked up such a good combination with Mat Rogers."

The Waratahs will also be looking to snap a Super 12 results chart against the Blues which has them with a solitary victory in 2001.

"For us, we have to chuck everything at it," Howlett said.

"I do not want to wake up on Sunday [after the final match] to find out we had a chance but blew it."

Howlett said the start of the season had been frustrating, there had been slim pickings for the wings, and the backline had been seriously affected by injuries.

On a personal note he felt sorry he would not be playing with Carlos Spencer again for Auckland or the Blues.

"It will be sad to see him go. We had great and sad times but we ended up having a great rapport, like following up his banana kicks."

Howlett has scored 48 tries in his Super 12 career, chasing the tournament leader Joe Roff (57), Christian Cullen and Caleb Ralph.

Meanwhile, Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie is dismissing claims that his forwards have been given a free ride by referees at the tackle area, claiming Blues assistant coach David Nucifora is trying to influence the whistle blower.

Nucifora said the vaunted Waratahs forwards had been "blessed" by referees in recent weeks and had called on officials to get tough on them at the breakdown.

This came after Reds coach Jeff Miller had taken a swipe at the refereeing of Stuart Dickinson after last week's 27-8 loss to NSW, claiming only one side was penalised at the breakdown and it wasn't the Waratahs.