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Forget about the sunscreen, it's time for the Crusaders to slap on the liniment.

Midsummer rugby is back, with the Crusaders to face the Queensland Reds in their first warmup match at Ballymore tonight as the rugby and cricket calendars continue to get tangled.

So mixed are the seasons that by the time the Black Caps have completed their final test against the Aussies on March 31 in Hamilton, six rounds of the Super 14 will have been completed and the Crusaders will already have a good idea if their title aspirations are riding an upward arrow.

A new year has also ushered in more promises that the problem areas will be cleaned up and tonight the Crusaders will get their first opportunity to experience how Sanzar's dickering with the tackled-ball law and the scrum engagements will be policed by referee Paul Marks.

Anyone sensing deja vu in all this has not suffered a head knock. Before each season there are demands that referees get tough on rugby's most problematic areas, often the breakdown and the scrum engagement.

Yet the instructions that referees get heavy with players not entering the gate correctly, not releasing the ball in the tackle or flopping over in the rucks have often been in vain.

Now it has been agreed another interpretation is required to clear confusion at the breakdown.

This "philosophical shift" means the tackler will no longer have all rights to attack the ball, which, in theory should allow the team taking the ball into contact to be rewarded and encourage them to have more control and create a more attractive spectacle for fans. No longer can the tackler hold on as he climbs back to his feet. Poor scrum technique will also be highlighted to reduce the number of set pieces that are reset.

In theory it sounds terrific, but the buck stops with the referees. And anyone who has taken a mild interest in the Super 14 will remember that previous promises officials would crack down on offenders were usually forgotten by the time daylight savings ended.

Tonight Crusaders openside flanker George Whitelock will get his first opportunity to operate under the rule changes. With Richie McCaw rested until after the third round, Whitelock, also tonight's skipper, will play under Marks' interpretations. Coach Todd Blackadder, who will rotate his squad to give all 26 players (including six from the training group) a run, will also be taking a deep interest.

Kickoff will not be until 7.45pm local time (10.45pm NZ time) and the Crusaders will be without the majority of their All Blacks that toured the northern hemisphere last spring, apart from props Owen Franks and Wyatt Crockett.

In previous seasons the Crusaders have split their summer matches into quarters and worn ice vests during their breaks to cope with the heat, but Blackadder wants his players to replicate the conditions they will likely experience in their second-round match against the Reds in Brisbane on February 19.

"They will just slug it out; it will be good for them," he cackled.

With Dan Carter still unavailable, Colin Slade will start at first five-eighth and take over the goalkicking duties.

Wallabies back Quade Cooper, who has been charged by police with stealing laptops from a Gold Coast property during the off season, will not play. He can train with the Reds but is receiving counselling and his career is still in limbo ahead of a court appearance later this year.

- © Fairfax NZ News