Wyatt Crockett says the Crusaders forwards will have to be organised when trying to stop the Sharks' maul in Christchurch on Saturday.

The Sharks' first try against the Highlanders last weekend came from a lineout driving maul and they mauled effectively throughout the match, which did not go unnoticed by the Crusaders.

'You have to be disciplined when you do defend against it,' Crockett told Stuff.co.nz. 'The mindset has to be to collectively stop it, because once they get momentum it's bloody hard to stop.

'You also have to have a couple of men standing on each side in case they do a wee eight-nine play off the tail of the maul. You need to have that shored-up,' Crockett added when explaining the defensive duties required. 'The rest of us just have to get nice and low and go hard to try to stop the thing. You can do it. But the big thing with stopping it is getting in there nice and early before they get any momentum.'

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images