Sharpe has reignited calls for Super

14 governing body SANZAR to

increase the competition's finalists

from four to six teams.

With one round of the season left

before the play-offs, seven sides

remain in the race to play elimination

rugby.

Despite neither the Force or ACT

Brumbies being in the running,

Sharpe believed it was time competition

bosses expanded the number

of finalists to give teams more

motivation at the latter end of the

season.

''This competition is very open

and when you come to the last round

and there are so many sides that can

still make the finals, you'd probably

like to see a little more reward for

your efforts of the past six or seven

months,'' the Wallabies lock said.

''When you get so close but miss

out by one or two points, as some

teams will again this year, you don't

really see that as enough reward.

''If you opened it to a top six, it

would increase the intensity required

to take the championship.''

The Force began the season with

four wins in six games but has again

finished poorly.

It's a similar scenario to last season

when the West Australians were in

the hunt for the finals before four

losses from their final five games saw

them finish seventh, 10 points adrift

from the fourth-placed Auckland

Blues.

The Brumbies have been arguably

the biggest losers under the top-four

format.

Since winning the Super rugby

championship in 2004, the

Canberra-based team has finished

fifth, sixth and fifth.

They have missed the finals due to

a lack of bonus points on each

occasion.

Three weeks ago they left for their

three-week end-of-season tour of

South Africa and Perth as genuine

prospects for a finals berth.

But back-to-back losses overseas

has ensured the Brumbies will finish

no higher than eighth and as far back

as 10th it will be their worst finish

to a season in a decade and second-

worst ever.

Sharpe had little sympathy for the

Brumbies but accepted they had

been unlucky not to have reached

the play-offs in four years.

''This is the type of competition

where one poor performance can

cripple your season,'' he said.

''I don't think anyone wants a

comp where one game can make or

break you and where every match

has so much significance.''

Both the Brumbies and Force

completed preparations for the game

with their respective captain's runs

at Subiaco Oval yesterday.

Force winger Drew Mitchell

suffered a freakish ankle injury which

is expected to sideline him from

tonight's match.

Before training, Brumbies captain

Stirling Mortlock did his best to spark

some trash-talk between the sides,

even if it was with a smile on his face

as he attacked good friend and Force

flyhalf Matt Giteau.

''He got knocked out mid-season

and while I got knocked out the same

weekend, I got done by [Auckland

Blues hooker] Keven Mealamu who's

pretty solid whereas Gits got knocked

out by Sam Norton-Knight, who's

built like a toothpick.''