Blackadder - Waratahs will be ultimate test

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder has dubbed Sunday's Super Rugby showdown with the NSW Waratahs as their ultimate test and is targeting a three-week rout of Australian teams. The Crusaders have won four of their past five games and Blackadder's surging side will be bolstered this week by the return of superstar Richie McCaw. The champion openside flanker and World Cup-winning All Blacks captain was named on the bench for what will be his first game since the World Cup final last October due to foot surgery. He is unlikely to appear until the second half, but McCaw says he could play a full 80 minutes if needed. "He (McCaw) doesn't work his way into a season or back from injury. He definitely comes back and has an impact straight away," Waratahs coaching coordinator Greg Mumm said of McCaw. The return of prop Owen Franks and lock Luke Romano, for Wyatt Crockett and Sam Whitelock respectively, are the only changes to the starting team that thumped the Hurricanes, though Ben Franks moves from tighthead prop to loosehead to accommodate his sibling's inclusion. The injury-hit Waratahs delayed naming their run on side, instead listing a match-day 22 for the game at Allianz Stadium. Wingers Atieli Pakalani and Peter Betham, who has been brought in from outside the 35-man NSW squad, prop Jeremy Tilse and openside flanker Jono Jenkins have been called into the Waratahs 22. Blackadder has talked up the Waratahs despite their extensive list of unavailable players which includes internationals Drew Mitchell, Lachie Turner and Dan Vickerman, openside flankers Chris Alcock and Pat McCutcheon and suspended centre Rob Horne. "This is the Waratahs at home and they're a big strong side who are playing a lot of rugby," Blackadder said at Crusaders' training in Christchurch on Thursday. "I see this as our ultimate test - they'll test us in ways other teams haven't. "I think they will try and take us through the middle with a lot of pick-and-goes." The sixth-placed Crusaders are coming off impressive back-to-back wins over the Stormers and Hurricanes and are one spot and three points ahead of NSW. "I see this match as a true test and a critical one as far as our season goes," Blackadder said. "Obviously we've had two good performances and we want to keep building. "Complacency could be a massive trap for us." The Crusaders are aiming to win a block of three successive fixtures against Australian sides, after playing four South African and four New Zealand teams. Following the clash in Sydney, the Crusaders host the Reds and then travel to Melbourne to play the Rebels. "It's a whole new challenge and it's quite refreshing," Blackadder said. "It gives us a new focus and it is easy to package our challenge around that now. "We see this as a mini-block and it is a series we want to win."