Mate versus mate when Warriors take on Rabbitohs

It will be mate versus mate in the National Rugby League in Auckland on Sunday and the prospect has New Zealand Warrior centre Jerome Ropati on his toes.

The Warriors host South Sydney, who have plenty of players with New Zealand connections, including skipper Roy Asotasi and fellow Kiwis Issac Luke, David Fa'alogo and David Kidwell.

On one wing is Auckland-born Tonga representative Fetuli Talanoa, while Christchurch-born forward Eddy Pettybourne will start on the bench.

Ropati, himself part of the Kiwis' World Cup-winning campaign last year, scoring in the final against the Kangaroos, said the sense of homecoming for many of the Rabbitohs increased their threat.

"They are really dangerous when they're back home and they're playing in front of family," the centre said.

"That gets them going quite a bit, so we'll have to watch out for them."

The fact that match will be a tribute to promising Warrior Sonny Fai is also sure to raise emotion levels on both sides.

The second rower/centre, who would have turned 21 a fortnight ago, is presumed drowned after going missing while rescuing his brother and cousins at a west Auckland beach in early January.

Fai was well known to the South Sydney New Zealanders, and Luke said his try celebration against Newcastle last Sunday, when he pointed to the heavens, was in honour of his former age-group team-mate.

The Fai factor apart, recent history suggests that Ropati's wariness of South Sydney is well-founded.

The Rabbitohs did the double over the Warriors last year and the earlier victory, at Mt Smart Stadium in June, was an especially notable one.

They had gone in with just one win in 11 matches, hadn't beaten the Warriors for nine years and were down 14-0 early on.

But they came from behind twice to complete a 35-28 upset, negating the six tries the home side scored, including one to Ropati and a hat-trick by now-departed winger Michael Crockett.

This time around, Souths arrive in Auckland as one of the NRL's early season high-flyers, sitting in second place.