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It is not Mission Impossible.
But the Blues' and Crusaders' quest to break the South Africans' domestic domination this season is the greatest challenge New Zealand teams have faced in the history of Super rugby.
One victory in South Africa in the latest series is a paltry collection
for the combined resources of New Zealand rugby - with that one glow being the Crusaders' victory against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
For the first time, two South African sides, the Sharks and Bulls, will host semifinals after an extraordinary final round. From the Chiefs' defeat of the champion Crusaders in the opening match to the Bulls' 92-3 win in the final game against the inept Reds, travel agents and the contending sides were kept in suspense about the playoff scenarios.
Once the results were sorted, the Blues were drawn to play the Sharks in Durban on Sunday with the Crusaders meeting the Bulls in Pretoria a few hours later.
The Blues have lost playmaker Luke McAlister with a hamstring strain and another midfielder, Sam Tuitupou, sidelined with a neck injury; problems which will force a selection rethink for their first playoff appearance since 2003.
The Crusaders flew out to defend their title with first five-eighths Dan Carter included in the squad after his shoulder injury. There is no guarantee he will play this weekend while Wyatt Crockett, Rico Gear and Kevin Senio were also added to the travelling party after being unavailable for the last match.
Home advantage has South Africa believing they can, at last, claim the crown in the 12th year of competition. They have looked enviously at the record sheets which show six titles for the Crusaders, three for the Blues, two for the Brumbies and twin losing finals appearances for the Sharks in 1996 and 2001 as the only time a side from the Republic challenged for the championship.
For their historical inspiration, the Blues and Crusaders will look at the 1999 season when the Highlanders upset the Stormers in Cape Town and the Crusaders overcame the Reds in Brisbane - the only time both visiting semifinalists have triumphed.
Vastly experienced Crusaders coach Robbie Deans put the task into perspective.
"You can see the self-belief kicking in, witness the way they all got really excited about hosting two playoffs. The support in South Africa is huge and the way they got 51,000 to Newlands even though the locals [Stormers] could not make the finals is indicative of that excitement.
"We will be in front of a full house at Loftus, we will have to try and feed off the surroundings.
"It is a cauldron. You only need to take a snapshot of the crowd to see the sort of passion they bring.
"They are the most uniformly passionate rugby crowd in the world and we will try and draw from wherever to gain what we need. It will be a great occasion."
The Crusaders beat the Bulls 32-10 in pool play at Christchurch while the Blues started their late season struggle when they were defeated 32-25 at Albany by the Sharks. Their return clash is at Absa Stadium where the atmosphere at sea-level will be equally as intoxicating as that on the high veld.
Both New Zealand sides will prepare for their semifinals in Durban.
