KEY POINTS:
Nick Evans is expecting his kicking nous to be put to the test when the Blues play fellow first-round winners the Lions in a Super 14 rugby match in Johannesburg on Sunday morning (NZT).
The Blues are beginning a three-match swing through South Africa, and Evans said it was no secret African sides relied a lot on their tactical kicking, especially on home soil.
"It's probably not going to be advantageous for us to get into a kicking duel with them, because they're pretty good at that," he said.
"We're going to have to pick our time when we use our tactical kicking."
Evans pointed to the Blues' kicking game during their 32-14 defeat of the Chiefs last Saturday, when they turned around an 8-11 halftime deficit.
"We used it well in the second half and we got ourselves in the right position on the field."
Evans said the experimental law variations had increased the importance of accuracy.
One of the changes is the nil gain in territory if a ball passed back behind the defending side's 22 is kicked out on the full.
"Obviously, with that new rule, you're forced to keep the ball in and the last thing you want to do is kick it straight into someone's hands," he said.
"I think there's a lot more manipulating of the defence and going a few more phases, rather than just sending it back and firing it down the field."
Up front, the way the Blues pack bossed the Chiefs around in the scrums and lineouts has set up an intriguing battle with the Lions forwards, given the traditional South African strength in those areas.
Skipper Troy Flavell said the Blues forwards wanted to ensure they established the platform to give their pacy strike weapons out wide opportunities to exploit.
"We've set ourselves a good benchmark leading into this game," he said.
"We'll definitely look to apply pressure in our set piece and then follow through with the sheer speed of our attack."
Both sides have gone for consistency in selection.
The Blues have named an unchanged starting 15 and have made just one switch in the reserves.
Hawke's Bay lock Bryn Evans replaces Anthony Boric and gets the chance to make his Super 14 debut, with coach David Nucifora saying Evans' size would be an asset against the Lions.
The Lions have also made just one change, with burly No 8 Willem Alberts returning from knee surgery to take his place in the starting 15.
Alberts, who played every match in his debut Super 14 season last year, replaces RW Kember, who drops out of the squad. Springboks loose forward Joe van Niekerk is again on the bench.
Coach Eugene Eloff said Kember had performed well in the come-from-behind 23-22 victory away to the Cheetahs last weekend, but the experience offered by Alberts would be vital.
"The Blues have been tipped as favourites to win the competition this year, so we need all the experience we can get," he said.
With Alberts and van Niekerk, Eloff believed his squad contained two best No 8s in South Africa.
He said both players would play significant roles over the remainder of the campaign.
The win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein had given the Lions a huge boost, and Eloff said his team could not have hoped for a better start to the competition.
BLUES
Isa Nacewa, Anthony Tuitavake, Isaia Toeva, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko, Nick Evans, Danny Lee, Nick Williams, Justin Collins, Jerome Kaino, Troy Flavell (captain), Kurtis Haiu, John Afoa, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.
Reserves: Tom McCartney, Nick White, Bryn Evans, Onosa's Tololima-Auva'a, Taniela Moa, Ben Atiga, Rudi Wulf.
- NZPA
