KEY POINTS:
The Blues will arrive in Perth today bruised and deflated but ultimately relieved their fate remains in their own hands.
It has boiled down to this - the Blues are guaranteed a playoff spot if they beat the Western Force on Friday night and take the bonus point.
However, it may not come to that if the Crusaders beat the Chiefs at Jade Stadium on the same night. Then the Blues will know before they kick off a few hours later that they are safely into the knockout phase.
If, however, the Chiefs defy the odds and sneak the win, the Blues will know they have to at least win to be safe, with the bonus point having the potential to determine their final placing.
That final placing will be crucial. The Crusaders will top the table if they win this week at Jade and the Sharks, assuming they won in the early hours of today, have a golden opportunity to secure the other home semifinal if they beat the Stormers in Cape Town.
That would leave the Bulls and Blues scrapping it out for third and fourth. The pair are equal on ladder points but the New Zealanders have a points difference of 93 compared with the Bulls' total of 76.
With the Bulls finishing their campaign against the Reds at Loftus, they are likely to rack up a big score and a bonus point.
If the Blues can't take five points or are overhauled on points difference, they will have to travel to Christchurch to play the Crusaders in the semifinals. The alternative would be to play the Sharks in Durban.
Neither option is ideal. The defending champion Crusaders are unbeaten at home since 2004 and have returned to their ominous best at the right stage of the competition.
The Blues have already been on the road for three weeks and the travel back to the Republic would take a massive toll. Then there is the fact that the Sharks have already beaten them.
Coach David Nucifora has been around long enough to know that while the Blues will be up against it, they will, at least, still be in it.
The cliche about anything being possible in the knockout round will provide considerable solace.
The Blues are also likely to be boosted by the return of Luke McAlister. The talented All Black has been missing since breaking a cheekbone against the Cheetahs in week six and the side has lacked composure and penetration in his absence.
The return of McAlister, however, won't solve the problem at the core of the recent woes. Having bossed everyone in the early rounds, the Blues pack has gone a touch pussy cat in recent weeks - a point acknowledged by skipper Troy Flavell after his side had been hammered 40-19 by the Bulls.
"In that second half, the Bulls came up with some good defence and they really put the pressure on us and caused us to cough up that ball," he told Super Sport TV.
"It's the business end of the competition now and the Bulls played with that desperation, they played extremely well. We're still right in this competition and we've got to get on that plane and begin our prep for the Western Force.
"Composure and confidence are the words we've used within our environment and that's something we want to carry through to next week and put it on the field. It could be our last game next week, no one knows."
