Veteran Stefan Terblanche is bracing himself for a bruising experience in what may well prove to be his Super 15 rugby farewell on Saturday.
The Sharks captain knows what is in store when his South African side confront the Crusaders in the first round of the playoffs in Nelson.
Having lived on their wits and cunning for the past month, when every match was treated as a must-win, the Sharks now face the real thing because defeat means the end of the road and victory opens the door to the semifinals.
Terblanche, who turns 36 next week, appreciates the age factor means a loss could mark an unsatisfactory end to his Super career, even though he remains hopeful of picking up a contract for next season.
But that is a distant consideration as he focuses on his most immediate task - namely how to contain the Crusaders' mighty midfield pairing of his centre rival Robbie Fruean and Sonny Bill Williams.
Fruean and Williams cut up the Sharks when the teams met at Twickenham in London in March, their merry capers through a floundering defensive line instrumental in the Crusaders' 44-28 success.
Capped 37 times for the Springboks, the versatile Terblanche, who can also play at fullback and on the wing, saw enough of Fruean's back that day to appreciate the threat he poses, both as an individual and in cahoots with Williams.
"They were making the headlines when we played them at Twickenham and they are still making the headlines now a couple of months down the line," he said of a combination which many consider would not look out of place in an All Blacks backline.
"They are a good pairing. They're tough, they're big, they're strong, they're fast.
"You know, they have all the skills to offload in the tackle so we know we are going to have our hands full."
Terblanche is a true a Super survivor, having featured in the Sharks side who lost to the Crusaders in the semifinals 13 years ago.
Despite the result, he remembers that match fondly, a game the Crusaders won 36-32 after two late tries from a mercurial talent by the name of Norm Berryman.
"It was still one of the nicest games of rugby I ever played in because it was hard, it was fast, it was clean and it was as tough as they come. Even though we lost I still have fond memories of that game."
Having showed a clear memory of a defeat long ago, Terblanche would like nothing more to remember a rousing win on Saturday night at Trafalgar Park where Nelson officials are hoping for a capacity crowd of 18,000.
That is a far cry from the 50,000 who attended the Sharks' last match when they beat the defending champion Bulls 26-23 at Pretoria last weekend.
Terblanche's athletic conditioning meant he appeared a touch sharper than his coach John Plumtree when the two of them fronted a press conference in Wellington today.
They are not scheduled to head to Nelson until tomorrow, having arrived in the capital last night after a gruelling 24-hour journey from Durban. A delay at Johannesburg, caused by a late plane, was later offset when they passed through Sydney quicker than expected after their connecting flight was not held up by the Chilean volcanic ash circling the globe.
Plumetree looked weary but he also had the presence of mind to put his side's travel demands in perspective because the Crusaders have been on the road for the past 4½ months due to the damage wreaked upon their home ground in Christchurch by the February 22 earthquake.
New Zealander Plumtree, a former Wellington coach, has nothing but admiration for how the Crusaders have coped with the aftermath of the quake and the resulting need for them to play home matches as far afield as Napier and Wellington.
"The Crusaders' journey this year has been remarkable," he said.
"They are a champion side, and the earthquake and how it has affected people in that area has just bonded them and made them tougher to beat.
"There are not too many sides who could have done what they have done."
