KEY POINTS:
When the Hurricanes look at ways to unhinge the Blues in tonight's Super 14 showdown, they might target one of their own.
The visitors to Eden Park have compiled a robust dossier on enterprising Blues wing David Smith, information which they have added to after his spell in
the capital last year until he signed a deal this week to transfer to Wellington and the Hurricanes next year.
Smith's acceleration, elusive running and goose-stepping antics have made him a crowd favourite and appealed to his coaches and his future teammates who encouraged him to make the provincial switch. The Hurricanes will have had warnings about slapping some heavy-duty defence on the nuggety speedster.
But they also know Smith can be unsettled through a judicious up-and-under kicking assault or can make a few impetuous decisions in his efforts to counterattack. Those quirks will have been noted for attention in the Hurricanes' video analysis sessions.
Enter Willie Ripia, the five-eighths whose game - and especially his kicking repertoire - has been conspicuous in the past few weeks.
Ripia may not get as much quality ball tonight if the Blues scrum continue their disruptive assault and he is unproven under real heat but it will surprise if he is not asked to test out Smith under the high ball. The Blues have not been as miserly on defence (31 tries conceded) as the Hurricanes (22 tries conceded) this year but they have been a tough system to crack so Ripia's kicking will be a valuable weapon.
For much of the week the Hurricanes have been concentrating on sorting out their defence, believing that rather than attack will decide tonight's outcome. Kicking then piling on the pressure with a pressing line of tacklers is a standard tactic in this sort of sudden-death encounter.
Both teams have scored almost the same number of tries this season, which bolsters observations from Hurricanes flanker Chris Masoe about what will make the difference in this enthralling local derby.
"You've got to look at your defence, it's why you win games," Masoe said. "It's something we have focused on this week, to make sure our defence is a solid wall."
Masoe makes up a third of the bouncers with captain Rodney So'oialo and Jerry Collins, a trio who like to dominate and usually set the tone for the Hurricanes. Collins' return from injury will inject an extra bit of grunt and experience in what will be a cauldron of anticipation.
"That's what we love [the physical stuff]," Masoe said. "There's a little bit of pressure on us, but if we've got cool heads and stay calm we'll be all right."
The Blues have found their composure in the past two weeks after a rough patch mid-competition.
Said blindside flanker Jerome Kaino: "We needed to alter our attitude, we had to change things and we've shown again what we can do. If we continue with that then we can make this game pretty interesting. We are really looking forward to it."
The Blues should have been shut out of semifinals contention but bonus-point wins and rivals' stumbles have given them a sniff of a Lazarus-like entrance into the playoffs.
They will base their optimism on a craggy scrum, an improved lineout, the pace of Daniel Braid to count at the breakdowns with Scott Waldrom benched for the Hurricanes and an improving backline. The key there will be the decisions of Taniela Moa, whose game will get a thorough assault from Piri Weepu.
Error counts as much as enterprise may decide this clash.