KEY POINTS:
Although most of the commotion about the Blues will involve the fate of the reconditioned All Blacks, some of the clatter is expected to come from resurrected No 8 Nick Williams.
The bullocking Williams made a huge impact in his solitary Super 14 outing against the Lions and recent comments suggest he will be recalled for Saturday's match against the Chiefs.
Coach David Nucifora pinpointed Williams as the unlucky omission from last week's game against the Waratahs but he also hinted his absence would be temporary.
The side will be announced today and if Williams is in, it would mean a switch to blindside flanker for Jerome Kaino to increase the physical approach the Blues have demanded from their pack.
The Chiefs choose their team tonight after fitness tests on contenders such as Steven Bates, Jono Gibbes and Keith Robinson.
Coach Ian Foster said his side needed to improve by 20 points on their last performance to challenge the competition frontrunners.
"We're not far off and we're getting more and more confident in what we're doing, so who knows?" he said.
The puzzle of the Blues' protected All Blacks will also be solved and if Nucifora's remarks this week were an indication, there will be scant starting recognition for the returning quartet of Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Ali Williams and Joe Rokocoko.
Nucifora hinted he would persevere with the match-hardened squad which had taken the series lead until he was convinced the senior All Blacks had recovered their sharpness. The coach was wary of sacrificing the momentum and combinations the Blues had built during the first half of the competition.
He does not want to disadvantage his All Black quartet but they were still behind in match condition.
"I don't see how they can be up to speed," Nucifora told the Herald.
"The others have had eight rounds of intense competition and it will take [the All Blacks] time to catch up."
Williams and Woodcock played club rugby last weekend, Mealamu played the last quarter off the bench for the Blues while Rokocoko continued to recover from a strained ankle. It was slim pickings compared to the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders who used all their available All Blacks in the last round.
However the Blues' form while the All Blacks were away on their reconditioning programme, convinced Nucifora he should retain the deputies against the Waratahs. The subsequent 34-6 victory proved him right.
Woodcock may get a starting reprieve because he is not best suited to cover both sides of the scrum from the bench. His class would also help against Nathan White who was rested from the Chiefs lineup last round.
Nucifora said: "We have got players who are going well, they are keen and enthusiastic and there is not a lot of difference in class between these guys."
Showcasing the deputies offered alternatives to the All Black selectors. It is the flipside of an argument the national panel will not appreciate if the pattern goes beyond this weekend.
