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Seven years after controversially leaving the Queensland Reds, Super Rugby stalwart Nathan Sharpe has the chance to give his former side a belated parting gift by leading the Western Force to victory over the Crusaders on Saturday night.
Reds' fans were left devastated at the end of 2005 when Sharpe made the decision to head to Perth to link up with the Force for their inaugural season.
Sharpe has since established himself as one of Australian rugby's greatest players, tallying 91 appearances for the Force to bring his Super Rugby tally to a competition-record 161 games.
The 34-year-old, who has also notched more than a century of Test caps for the Wallabies, will retire from Super ranks after lining up against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
And although the 14th-placed Force are well out of finals contention, a win over the Crusaders would hand the biggest favour imaginable to the seventh-placed Reds.
Should Queensland beat NSW but fail to gain a four-try bonus point, they would need the Crusaders, Bulls or Sharks to lose in order to make the finals.
Trouble is, the Crusaders, Bulls (versus Lions) and Sharks (versus Cheetahs) are all expected to win, given they're taking on inferior opponents.
Sharpe's No.1 focus is helping the Force snare a rare win to give the Perth-based franchise a valuable morale boost heading into the off-season.
But the former Reds lock said it would be an added bonus if a Force win opened the door for Queensland to join the Brumbies in the finals.
"Yeah, it would be nice to kick the Crusaders out and promote another Australian team through to the finals," Sharpe said on Friday.
"But we just want to win the game and win it for the pride of the club.
"It would be a great way to finish the season.
"The Crusaders are the biggest challenge in Super Rugby without a doubt. We're here to try to pull that off."
Sharpe almost missed the chance to play a farewell game after his back locked up badly last Saturday, but he has recovered well and will take over the captaincy against the Crusaders.
The veteran said he was sad knowing his time with the Force was nearing an end.
The Crusaders sit in fourth spot and will guarantee themselves a home quarter-final should they defeat the Force.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...ed-rugby-gift/