Rugby: Williams, Nonu named to start

The Blues have decided to start Ma'a Nonu rather than bring him from the bench. Photo / Phil Walter

Physical forward battle looks likely to prove decisive.

Whatever the All Black selectors think of Piri Weepu, Hika Elliot and Ben Tameifuna is unlikely to be swayed by their impact in tomorrow's repeat duel between the Blues and Chiefs.

The trio were at the national training camps in Auckland and Wellington where they underwent a range of medical assessments and training sessions leavened by a great deal of planning around the All Blacks' strategies for the three-test series against Ireland.

Coach Steve Hansen and selectors Ian Foster and Grant Fox will have distilled their thoughts and trimmed their group ready for Sunday's announcement of the 30 players they intend to take into the internationals.

Only serious injury will alter their plans - cameos or gaffes from the bench are unlikely to sway those decisions.

So Weepu, Elliot and Tameifuna will be left to wonder about their national fates while the crowd at North Harbour Stadium will rock up to see if the Chiefs can maintain their competition momentum or whether the Blues have some sting left in their bedraggled campaign.

The Chiefs have lost openside flanker Tanerau Latimer to injury but replaced him with rising youngster and national intern Sam Cane, while skipper Craig Clarke is missing with a neck injury.

This time the Blues have decided to start Ali Williams and Ma'a Nonu rather than bring them from the bench as they did in the last round against the Highlanders.

"The Blues are getting players back and are on the improve," Chiefs coach Dave Rennie said. "Games where the Chiefs play the Blues always have test match intensity and that's what we're preparing for."

Further Blues alterations see Rudi Wulf return to fullback after a month out with a shoulder problem, Rene Ranger and Lachie Munro on the wings, Daniel Braid to openside and positional switches for captain Luke Braid and Michael Hobbs.

Weepu was left out because Alby Mathewson and Hobbs had trained together all week and coach Pat Lam wanted to give them every encouragement to settle into a partnership which had not been used since the Blues played the Chiefs in round two, when they were thumped 29-14.

"This week it just suits us in what we want to do," Lam said.

"I think it has been about getting the best team to try and win the game and Alby Mathewson is not a bad player so that's the call we havemade."

Injured skipper Keven Mealamu ran at training but Lam thought he was at least several weeks shy of being ready to play.

The message was the same each week for the Blues.

"Try and win would be nice," said Lam. "I think certainly the forwards up front did a good job and that is going to be a battle. Even before this year it was always about Blues-Chiefs forward battles - contact, physicality, and they are doing that even better than most teams so that is a good challenge."

He said the lineout was a constant frustration but the acid was on his group once more to get it sorted.