The pair made the cross-code switch last year after illustrious times in club and international rugby league.

But with little recent experience of the 15-man game, Sailor and Rogers will be under pressure to justify their price tags and convince the union faithful of their worth.

Sailor, 27, joined the Queensland Reds from the Brisbane Broncos on a reported �225,000-a-year deal, while Rogers, 26, was a high-profile signing for the New South Wales Waratahs after leaving the Cronulla Sharks.

Sailor - who scored twice in the Kangaroos' World Cup final win over New Zealand in 2000 - is known as a powerful, hard-running winger and one of the best finishers in the business.

Rogers, a fellow World Cup-winning Kangaroo, who ended his Sharks career on the wing, is an elusive runner and a talented goalkicker.

Both men are intent on Super 12 success leading to selection for Australia's squad to defend the World Cup in 2003.

But while it may take them some time to master the nuances and more intricate positional and technical aspects of union, officials at least, hope that as marketing tools, the big-name signings will bring in the crowds.

One man who knows what it takes to make the transition is Sale, England and Lions star Jason Robinson.

The former Wigan Warrior was in no doubt that this pair have the calibre to go all the way in union.

"Sailor and Rogers are two of the hardest opponents I've played against in rugby league," Robinson told BBC Sport Online. "They're both very quick and very strong."

Already fast-tracked into the Australian side which beat New Zealand 28-0 in the Brisbane round of the World Sevens series, both men have also overcome the first obstacle of getting select to start the Super 12.