Flanker goes to front of Blues queue

Onosai Tololima-Auva'a playing for NZ in the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens. Mark Nolan / Getty Images

For a few weeks, Blues coach David Nucifora resisted the claims of specialist openside flanker Onosai Tololima-Auva'a.

The reasons were sound enough. Tololima-Auva'a had been on extended sevens and Commonwealth Games duty and was unfamiliar with the Blues' patterns.

Grand Slam All Black Angus Macdonald was an experienced utility who was best suited to help out in the Super 14 while Daniel Braid recovered from his hamstring injury.

That plan held against the Waratahs but crashed against the Bulls in the last round when Macdonald retired with a season-ending knee injury. Five minutes into the match and Tololima-Auva'a was required.

His name is a curse for broadcasters but they better get used to it because he will be picked again for the Blues' next match against the Stormers at Eden Park on Saturday.

Tololima-Auva'a will go up against the might of Schalk Burger, who was the IRB player of the year in 2004, and Luke Watson, whose late try helped the Stormers scrape a win last week against the Force.

This match will be a first for Burger who has missed both his chances to play the Blues because of leg injuries.

"We have had a disappointing season so far only beating the Cats and Force away. Maybe we should be playing all our games away from Newlands," he said.

"We have been patchy. This trip is a matter of starting our season over again. We scratched a win in Perth and we have to do better from here on.

"The Blues are in a similar position to us, so there should be something interesting."

The Blues will hope that is not a repeat of the result two years ago when the Stormers came to Eden Park and embarrassed the home side 51-23.

Nucifora will not announce his side until today but he confirmed the Commonwealth Games gold medallist was a "frontrunner" to start on the openside.

"He had quite a crash course in getting himself ready for last week on the bench and then found himself on after five minutes. He handled it really well," Nucifora said of the 21-year-old.

"I've got no concerns at all about him handling the occasion."

In coaching language, that means Tololima-Auva'a will make his first Super 14 start.

His selection is likely to be the only change to the Blues' starting side. The same backline which began against the Bulls trained yesterday.

The Stormers have made two changes from their combination which squeaked past the Force 26-25 in Perth. Hooker Hanyani Shimange replaces Schalk Britz and Andries Bekker moves into lock for the injured Ross Skeate.