Queensland have responded to NSW taunts by accusing the Waratahs of a "cop out" in reneging on a deal to attend the Reds' annual interstate rugby luncheon.

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Ken Freer on Thursday threw the same insult Lote Tuqiri used on Tuesday to pan the Reds back in NSW faces before Saturday night's Super 14 grudge match.

Freer was incensed the Waratahs snubbed an invitation to attend Friday's Vintage Reds luncheon, designed to help promote the last-round showdown at Suncorp Stadium.

The Reds attended a similar interstate lunch, put on by the Rugby Union Players' Association, in Sydney last season and Freer said the NSWRU agreed to return the favour this year.

While NSW coach Ewen McKenzie is expected to attend for 15 minutes to be interviewed on stage, the QRU rated it as mere token representation from the third-placed team.

"Talk about copping out and not fronting up," Freer said.

"Putting in an appearance at a promotional lunch is not exactly breaking rocks in the hot sun.

"We did it in Sydney last year although we could have done without it.

"What's the big deal? Is it that they haven't got a thing to wear after their luggage went missing in South Africa? I'm sure they could have found some old Randwick tracksuits to wear."

Freer's response is Queensland's first swipe at their arch-rivals, who they haven't beaten since NSW ended a nine-year Super rugby drought in 2005.

Tuqiri delivered the opening salvo when he labelled the 11th-placed Reds cop-outs for revelling in their tag of late season competition spoilers when they should have performed better at the start of the season.

The only NSW players who will attend the function - nicknamed the `Hillbilly Luncheon' for its traditional sledges of the Waratahs - are injured duo Al Kanaar and Ben Jacobs.

With the Waratahs flying in to Brisbane on Friday morning, McKenzie is unrepentant on missing the lunch ahead of afternoon training.

"We do our training and captain's run in the afternoon," he said. "That's when we normally do it, so it sort of clashes with the lunch.

"I'm going to go to the lunch and I'll stand up there and Buddha (former Wallabies and Reds prop Chris Handy) will ask an array of questions so I'll be the punching bag on behalf of the team and then we'll go to training.

"So the guys have got to get ready for training. There's strapping, all those sorts of things we normally do in the preparation.

"It's a short week for us and we've got to be mindful. One thing we've been this year is very consistent in our preparation and we don't want to compromise that."

Despite the team's snub, Freer teased that a 51-strong NSWRU contingent, including 40 Waratahs sponsors, as well as a supporters' group would be made welcome.

"We always look after our own sponsors so taking care of someone else's as well won't be a problem for us," he said.

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