4th March 2010 03:48PM

The clash of two Tokoroa boys, one playing for the Chiefs and one with the Reds, is just one of many good reasons to get along to Waikato Stadium on Friday night.

Chiefs centre Richard Kahui and Reds first five-eighth Quade Cooper both grew up in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa. On Friday night they will be head to head in a game that Kahui expects will be full of "attacking rugby."

"I knew Quade when he was about six or seven years old. He was a bit younger that me and was in my brother's year at school. He spent more time with my younger brother than me."

Both Kahui and Cooper attended Cargill Open Plan School in Tokoroa and lived about three houses apart from each other. Now, a couple of decades later, the two boys from Tokoroa are playing professional rugby and set for another clash on Friday night.

Kahui said Cooper is a key player for the Reds.

"He's got a great offload and when he gets running he's a tough player to stop. Quade's a key part of their attack, and someone to keep a close eye on."

The 24-year-old centre is set to run out for his 26th Chiefs game on Friday night.

"The team is desperately excited to get back and play at Waikato Stadium. It's our home and we had a really good year there last season. The Chiefs and Reds are teams that play some really good rugby. Certainly for anyone coming along on Friday, it will be an attacking game."

Having been away overseas for the past three weeks, Kahui says it is good to be home.

"It's certainly more pleasant the weather over here - a bit cooler. We had some tough days training over in Perth with the heat. The amount of water we had to drink during trainings wasn't fun - you felt like you needed to go to the toilet every two minutes."

"It's great to be back and to adjust our sleep patterns."

When asked what advice is given to the players to get back into regular sleep patterns, Kahui answered: "we are told not to sleep during the day, even if you really want to and to try and stay awake until about eight or nine o'clock at night. We can take sleeping pills to get a good solid six or seven hours sleep, but are encouraged to get off the pills as soon as possible to start sleeping naturally."

One thing's for sure the Chiefs and Reds clash is an occasion worth getting up for.

Tickets are on sale now via www.chiefs.co.nz; gate one Waikato Stadium, and the usual Chiefs outlets. Adult prices range from $10 to $45.

Gates open to Waikato Stadium at 5.30pm on Friday 5 March. The first 1000 fans on arrival will receive a complimentary Chiefs and University of Waikato sling bag.