KEY POINTS:
In what was an unusual Super 14 series last year, Rudi Wulf could not avoid selection for the Blues.
The wing showed such consistent high-quality form while the Cotton Wool Club members were absent, that he forced coach David Nucifora to retain him even when All Black star Joe Rokocoko became available later in the series.
It was one of the more contentious chapters in a season pockmarked by the obsessive demands of the World Cup.
Rokocoko's cause was not helped when he returned and suffered an ankle injury. However, Wulf and Doug Howlett were automatic choices by then - with back-up from Anthony Tuitavake - so Nucifora argued it would have been counter-productive to drop Wulf for Rokocoko.
Similar selection judgment has continued this season but Wulf has been the unlucky loser among the wings, relegated to the bench while Rokocoko and Tuitavake started against the Chiefs and Lions. However, Wulf's fortune has altered this weekend with his promotion ahead of Tuitavake for the match against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The wing's inclusion is the only change to the starting XV while Anthony Boric and Bronson Murray move into the reserves in place of Bryn Evans and Nick White.
"Selections for wingers are very tight as we have some outstanding players to choose from," Nucifora said without mentioning the promising David Smith who is one of the squad members left at home.
Wulf had been sharp when he played the final quarter against the Lions last week and it was time to see how he could contribute from the start of a match.
Nucifora is not swayed by arguments about widespread selection rotation. Not yet. He believes it is more beneficial at this stage to build momentum with the same group of players even with the increased aerobic impact of the ELVs.
In a dig at the All Blacks rotation theories, Nucifora said New Zealand players should be trained to cope with a number of successive matches.
"If you tell someone they're tired, they'll be tired," Nucifora added when asked if New Zealanders had been over-protected.
"We're not of that ilk. We're here to win these games in Africa. Our players are very keen to be on the field and play. We do monitor them carefully about how they are with injury and we pay a lot of attention to their recovery. But, if that's managed well, there's no reason why they can't keep going."
It was a luxury to be in South Africa early in the series with a fresh group of injury-free players instead of having to travel with a jaded group later in the season.
"We will worry about resting and giving others a go later in the season or when we start to get niggles," Nucifora said.
There was a growing optimism in the Blues after two strong victories but they still needed to improve their patience and work on how they built pressure and attacks.
"We just need to ensure we do not get too enthusiastic and throw 50-50 passes," he said. "We need to be more ruthless on attack as, under the new rules, keeping possession against fatigued teams is a key factor. Patience is vital."
The Cheetahs have lost both their matches this season by a solitary point. They are well organised and have played with more structure than most of the other South African teams. And, as they are the present Currie Cup champions, the Blues must be in sync if they are to continue the strong work of the past fortnight.
