KEY POINTS:
The Blues' greatest improvement this season had been shedding their brittle image, says coach David Nucifora.
Too often last year they succumbed to late match pressure but in this campaign they have grabbed vital bonus points and collected hard-fought victories to head all their Super 14 rivals.
"They
are things we have not done in years gone by," Nucifora added. "Last year we were terrible at finishing games.
"We tended to unravel for various reasons and this year we have been very strong at the back end of games and that has been a combination of players being better prepared and the quality of our bench players and the contribution they have made at the back half of games."
The Blues finished eighth last year but Nucifora is confident enough to predict that one more victory from their remaining five pool games will confirm a playoff spot.
However that form reversal is not enough for the coach or the squad; he wants the Blues to host a semifinal.
And he believes a changed attitude throughout the squad and the vigorous competition for selection will help that push, starting with the Good Friday meeting with the Cheetahs at Eden Park.
"Just making the semifinals is not good enough for us. We want to put ourselves in the best possible position to be able to win this competition," Nucifora said. "The benefit of the competition within the team was that anyone who starts to slacken off will find themselves missing out."
One player definitely out this week will be Luke McAlister, who had surgery yesterday to repair a fracture in his left cheekbone. The midfielder's recovery is expected to take a month.
In his absence Sam Tuitupou will play in midfield, but not next year as the former All Black announced yesterday that he was leaving to play for the Worcester club in England.
The 25-year-old has played nine tests and captained Auckland in the NPC.
Fitness tests will be made on Blues captain Troy Flavell before the team is announced today. Flavell hurt his groin and missed the Chiefs match.
Nucifora is contemplating further changes to keep his squad fresh for the last overseas leg of the competition.
He admired the way his side soaked up the initial onslaught from the Chiefs in Hamilton, a game that was a useful dress-rehearsal for the physical South African challenges to come.
"The way we problem-solved, the composure and being able to finish strongly were encouraging signs."
