The Sunwolves' Super Rugby game against the Reds on Saturday could well boil down to which Tongan superhero gets on top.

Tighthead prop Taniela Tupou (1.75 meters and 128 kilograms) -- or 'Tongan Thor' as he has been dubbed -- is part of a Reds pack that will look to impose its authority on the hosts and starve them of any ball.

But if the Sunwolves are able to hold their own in the set piece, then 1.90-meter, 106-kg wing Hosea Saumaki -- known as 'Tongan Godzilla' -- will be hoping the ball gets shifted wide so he can turn that possession into points.

("Tongan Godzilla," Hosea Saumaki, 2nd from right)

"The set piece is one of the four work-ons that we've got, and if we can launch off our set piece then we can score tries. But we need to be consistent," Sunwolves flanker Michael Leitch said Friday after his team's captain's run at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.

That lack of consistency was highlighted in the last game against the Hurricanes, when the Sunwolves dominated possession and territory but were unable to show enough composure to turn pressure into points and lost 43-15.

"That's half our game, where we want to make it chaotic. But sometimes it feels like we're shooting ourselves in the foot. But that's the type of game we are trying to create, though it is frustrating," said Leitch, who returns to the side for the first time since breaking a rib against the Chiefs on March 24.

Playing in front of their home fans in Tokyo for the last time in 2018, the Sunwolves (0-9) are desperate for a win against the Reds (4-5) and visiting coach Brad Thorn said his side were not taking the hosts lightly.

"They are good across the park," the former All Blacks lock said. "They went to Johannesburg and almost beat the Lions, who were the finalists the last two years. At our home ground we were lucky to beat (the Lions 27-22). So there is no underestimation of the Sunwolves."

Thorn played two seasons for the Highlanders under Sunwolves coach Jamie Joseph but said he had not thought about trying to get one over on his old boss until the subject was brought up Friday following his team's final training run.

(Brad Thorn)

"It's my first year of Super Rugby coaching so I have pretty much been head down, bum up, just working, preparing for each week," he said. "I hadn't thought about the coaching staff but I hear what you are saying now that you mention it."

Tony Brown, who, just as now, was an assistant to Joseph at the Highlanders when Thorn was still playing, admitted it was good to see the 2011 Rugby World Cup winner coaching, but he too was thinking more about the game than the opposition coaching crew.

"He (Thorn) was always going to be a fantastic coach and he has done an outstanding job with the Reds this year," Brown said. "But for us, it is a matter of going out there and playing our game against a pretty good side."

That game will likely see some inventive play from the backs, with Yutaka Nagare and Fumiaki Tanaka acting as distributors away from the set piece as the Sunwolves look to confuse their opponents.

In defense, the hosts will need to prevent the hard-running Reds midfield of Samu Kerevi and Chris Feauai-Sautia from breaking over the gain line, while Leitch and Ed Quirk will look to ensure Wallaby great George Smith has as little influence on the game as possible, particularly at the breakdown.

(Michael Leitch)

"Everyone has seen us perform reasonably well for certain parts of games over the last half-a-dozen games. We just have to make sure we get closer to playing an 80-minute performance than a 50 or 60-minute performance, and if we can do that we are in with a chance," said Brown.

And when asked what his side needed to do to score more tries, Brown simply responded, "Cross the line."