Masoe outmuscles Herring for semi

Chris Masoe will start at openside flanker for the Hurricanes in Friday night's Super 12 rugby semifinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch, his selection a bombshell for Ben Herring.

Coach Colin Cooper names his team to play the Crusaders today, but it was clear at training yesterday that Herring had been dropped, possibly only as far as the bench.

It is a replay of the selection switch that saw Masoe start, and play superbly, in the 49-37 win against the Brumbies three weeks ago. Herring was back for the 22-10 win against the Blues a week later and was just as devastating.

However, it seems clear that Cooper wants a bigger, more confrontational player to go head-to-head with All Blacks flanker Richie McCaw.

Conrad Smith is also expected to be named at centre today after he trained there throughout yesterday's session, with Tane Tu'ipulotu alternating briefly with Tana Umaga at second five-eighth.

Smith was concussed in last Friday's 20-40 loss to the Crusaders and tests on Sunday were apparently inconclusive. More have been scheduled, but it seems Smith has already been cleared.

Shannon Paku is expected to play at fullback after he was a late withdrawal last week with an elbow injury, but the make-up of the front row remains undecided.

Injured tighthead prop Tim Fairbrother spent most of today's training indoors, surfacing only toward the end of the session.

He revealed he had injured his left shoulder during a scrum last Friday night and hurt it again later making a tackle, but was confident he would be fit to play.

If he's not, Tony Penn will start at loosehead prop with a significantly trimmed down Gordon Slater on the bench, in what will be the Taranaki veteran's first Super 12 match in three years.

If Fairbrother starts, there will be five changes to the side that ran out last Friday, with the return of Paku, Umaga, flanker Jerry Collins and hooker Andrew Hore, along with Masoe's elevation from the bench.

Collins was rested last Friday, as were Umaga and Hore, but the All Blacks flanker was unsure yesterday of the benefits.

"It's one of those hard things to answer. Sometimes a break can be good for you, sometimes it can work against you," Collins said.

"I have to try and use it as an advantage, rather than a disadvantage. I feel good and it's not very hard to get up for this week."

The Hurricanes have beaten the Crusaders only three times, with seven losses and a draw, but there is a quiet confidence within the camp that they can reverse last week's defeat.

"It's pretty tense at the moment at training and guys understand the task ahead. It's huge. It's always going to be like that, going down there to play a semifinal," Collins said.

Meanwhile, Crusaders coach Robbie Deans also names his team today. He has one injury concern -- centre Casey Laulala's strained hamstring.

McCaw, prop Dave Hewett and first five-eighth Daniel Carter, who did not start last Friday, will this week, but No 8 Mose Tuiali'i could remain on the bench.

- NZPA