Rugby: Bryn Gatland gets nod again as Blues prepare to break drought

Bryn Gatland in action for the Blues against the Lions. Photosport

The Blues, on the brink of their first back-to-back wins in South Africa in a decade, will take the field against the Stormers with only one change to the starting line-up which paved the way for their dramatic victory over the Lions at Ellis Park.

The only change for the side to run out at Newlands, Cape Town, on Sunday morning NZT is injury forced, with prop Pauliasi Manu starting instead of Alex Hodgman, who has gone home to Auckland with an arm injury.

It means Tana Umaga has resisted the temptation to start Stephen Perofeta at No10 ahead of Bryn Gatland despite Perofeta's excellent 25 minutes as a replacement at Ellis Park during his side's 38-35 victory.

It was the 20-year-old's first match back from a hand injury and he will have to bide his time before winning the No10 jersey despite being Umaga's No1 ranked first-five at the start of the season.

Gatland's selection to start is a reward for his consistency and ability to set the agenda for his team at the start of an important match. "It was a pretty simple one for us," Umaga said. "I thought Bryn did exactly as we'd asked.

"It worked well for us and obviously Stevie played very well. There are a couple of things that we've asked him to work on, knowing it was his first game for a while, but we're really happy with him.

"The others added spark when they came on and we'll expect the same this week."

The Blues spent a couple of days at altitude in Johannesburg before travelling to Cape Town mid-week. There they have had to deal with a water shortage in the city – there is enough water for players to drink, but showers are limited to a minute each as the Blues prepare to break their own drought of a clean sweep in South Africa.

"Shower time is the biggest thing for the guys… we've all got bottled water so that's okay to drink," Umaga said. "It's about minute showers – that's been challenging for some guys. You just get used to it."

They have also had to deal with a knee injury to reserve lock Scott Scrafton. Josh Goodhue will travel as Scrafton's replacement, but won't be involved in the match – Umaga deciding this time to have a 5-3 forwards-backs split rather than the 6-2 split he went for last weekend.

Midfielder George Moala is the beneficiary and will likely relish his chance to make an impact after not being involved in Johannesburg.

The midfield of Sonny Bill Williams and Rieko Ioane get another chance to gel against a Stormers side which could be low on energy and morale after travelling back from three defeats in Australia and New Zealand.

One of the obvious improvements last weekend during the Blues' first win of the season was the way they paced their attack. They played with a balance and composure which meant energy levels were still high at the end and Umaga is hoping for more of the same, perhaps with slightly better execution.

"We played at a tempo that suited us and we didn't over-use our forwards. Our kicking game was improved. We need to balance that well. We need to take opportunities when we see them.

"One game doesn't make a season, just like two games don't lose you the season… we've just got to put games and performances together that showcase who we are. If we do that we know we'll get results at the end of it."

Blues team to play Stormers at Newlands on Sunday, kick-off 2.05am NZT is: 1. Pauliasi Manu, 2. James Parsons ©, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 6. Jerome Kaino, 7. Antonio Kiri Kiri, 8. Akira Ioane; 9. Sam Nock, 10. Bryn Gatland, 11. Melani Nanai, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Matt Duffie,15. Michael Collins.

Reserves: 16. Leni Apisai, 17. Ross Wright or Sione Mafileo, 18. Mike Tamoaieta, 19. Jimmy Tupou, 20. Murphy Taramai, 21. Jonathan Ruru, 22. Stephen Perofeta, 23. George Moala