The Press: Nasi Manu is expecting a good-natured ribbing when the Highlanders kick off their Super 14 campaign against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday week.

The Cantabrian has spent the past two seasons in the Crusaders' colours, but was sent to the Highlanders in the draft this season after not being protected by the seven-time champions.

Manu caught up with many of his old team-mates in Christchurch last week when he was back in the Garden City for a wedding and said he was bracing himself for a few cheeky text messages in the lead-up to the Highlanders' Super 14 opener.

He said running out on to Christchurch's AMI Stadium in a jersey other than red and black and being in the visitors' changing room for the first time would be a little strange.

"It will be a bit weird, but at the same time it'll be quite exciting," he said.

"I'm hoping to prove them wrong. I think it will be awesome."

Manu has a massive chance to impress on the Super 14 stage this season, with the blockbusting loose forward effectively in a head-to-head battle with Stephen Setephano for the Highlanders No8 jersey.

At the Crusaders, Manu's opportunities were scarce, and that would have been the case again this season, with All Black Kieran Read and the under-rated Thomas Waldrom both in their ranks.

The 21-year-old was hampered by injuries in last year's Air New Zealand Cup with Canterbury, but produced some positive signs late in the season when he finally got back on to the paddock.

Manu said he had settled well into Dunedin, where he is flatting with Highlanders team-mates Clint Newland and Jason Shoemark, and was looking to reproduce that kind of form.

"I'm slowly getting used to Dunedin and am really enjoying it at the moment. I'm starting to know my way around ... Hopefully it's a good opportunity to get some game time down here. The Crusaders have quite a lot of good loosies, so it was a good move for me."

In the Highlanders' first pre-season match of the season against the Chiefs last weekend, Manu was barely on the field before he succumbed to a shoulder injury.

The knock forced him out of the Highlanders' match against the President's XV in Suva on Saturday, but he was confident he would be fit in time for the round-one clash against his old pals.

Manu, who is the nephew of former Australian loose forward Daniel Manu, has shown glimpses of his brilliance since making his NPC debut for Canterbury in 2007, but admitted that he needed to be more consistent and confident in his ability week by week.
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"When I'm confident, I start running with the ball better," he said.

"At the end of the NPC, I got a bit more confidence and I want to bring that down to the Highlanders."Fairfax

02 Febuary, 2010