Howlett is ready for epic battle with Tuqiri

AS a classical scholar with a special interest in Greek and Roman history, battle tactics and gladiatorial showdowns are of a particular fascination to All Blacks winger Doug Howlett.

So the 25-year-old should be ideally prepared for Saturday's modern day version a World Cup semi-final between age-old rivals New Zealand and Australia in Sydney's Olympic Stadium.

There were no pre-match digs from Howlett, or anyone in the All Blacks camp for that matter. Swords will be drawn on Saturday night Howlett's opposite number in front of 85,000 baying fans will be Lote Tuqiri, the former rugby league winger who has nailed down a place in the Wallabies starting line-up only a year after switching codes.

"He is a tough customer," said Howlett, who is completing a university course and spends his time preparing for the big games by taking in Melbourne's museums and galleries, playing chess or learning guitar.

"He is all over the place in a good way. He is tough to read, a strong man and runs well," added Howlett.

Howlett got the better of Tuqiri in each of their last two meetings, scoring once in Sydney and twice in Auckland as the sizzling All Blacks reclaimed the Bledisloe Cup.

Howlett relishes playing alongside Carlos Spencer. The pair are team-mates at Auckland and have developed an instinctive relationship. "He certainly takes a lot of attention ," said Howlett. "Whoever is playing for the All Blacks in whatever position, they have a huge amount of skills That is what makes New Zealand such a dangerous, counter-attacking team. A misplaced pass or turnover deep in All Blacks territory can prove fatal. A sword to the heart.

Australia's backs coach Glen Ella is well aware of the fact and last night he warned that unless the well-paid Wallabies stop making amateur mistakes they will be severely punished by New Zealand.

A better side that Scotland would have stung Australia in the quarter-finals and the Wallabies only survived a major scare in the pool game against Ireland when substitute out-half David Humphreys' late drop-goal floated just wide.