CSU return home tomorrow afternoon for their penultimate game of the Central West Rugby Union season where they will host potentially finals bound Forbes at University Oval.

Over the last five years the two sides have turned on close contests in almost every match they have played.

Earlier this season Forbes got the better of the students to win 20-10 at Grinsted Oval, but of late their form has waned. They are now an outside chance of missing out on the top five.

If Cowra reverse their own form slump and upset Dubbo, it will put the Platypi in a sticky situation.

Therefore CSU coach James McLaren knows that his side aren’t going to be given any favours.

“We went over there in the first round to face them and felt like we were a big chance, but they just dominated us, they didn’t let us into the game at all even though the score was fairly close,” McLaren said.

“They have big, strong forwards that were basically the antithesis of what we took over there.

“On the basis of what we’ve done in the last month, I’d like to think we can turn that around. Their form has been a bit up and down, but as we’ve seen all year, the students are a bit like a box of chocolates.”

The traditional view of the Platypi, who have sat off the pace set by the bigger clubs over the last half a decade, is that they are a team almost entirely based around an uncompromising forward pack.

Assessing Forbes’ back line seems to be almost an afterthought, but McLaren saw enough in their 20-10 loss to suggest that they have more to offer than just one-dimensional football.

“They actually do have a couple of very slick backs, they have a couple of centres [Jack Hammond and Joshua Coulthurst] who are quite impressive,” he said.

“It is a bit of a stereotype that they just have this big pack who play pick-and-go football and never go to the backs.

“I don’t know the coach [Phil Prior], but he’s done a good job with them.”

Tactically not a lot will change for the students who have competed strongly with heavyweights Orange City and Dubbo ’Roos in the last two weeks before falling off the pace towards the back end of the game.

Once more McLaren wants to see plenty of line-speed in defence, though they will have to do it without their best player and defensive workhorse Hugh Medway, who is unavailable.

“We’ve got to step up to the plate against a big pack, get up and off that line,” McLaren said.

“If we stand there and let them come to us, simple physics tells you that sooner or later they will go through us and score.

“I’d like to see that defensive effort that we’ve put in over the last two weeks on show at home.

“Pat Murphy will come back into the side in the second row, which will push Sam Robertson out to number 8 to cover Hugh, and hopefully that will allow him a bit more freedom too.”

Kick-off at University Oval is at 3.15pm.