The Blues have no concerns over the fitness of Beauden Barrett, who missed Saturday's narrow victory over Moana Pasifika, as the defending champion Crusaders await.
Initially named to start at fullback, Barrett was scratched before kickoff with an Achilles complaint, as Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens slotted into the No.15 jersey.
Any Achilles issues would be a worry for Barrett, who battled a similar problem in 2020, as the pointy end of Super Rugby Pacific approaches before this year's Rugby World Cup in France.
However, Blues coach Leon MacDonald allayed any fears over 31-year-old Barrett in the short term, saying he should be capable of returning to the field against the Crusaders in Christchurch next weekend.
"He should be fine," said MacDonald. "He's just feeling a little bit tight in his Achilles.
"It makes everyone a bit nervous when you start reporting a bit of tightness there.
"It should be fine."
Meanwhile, the Blues will have plenty of questions to answer before they face the Crusaders.
On Saturday, MacDonald's side came within seconds of a first defeat to crosstown rivals Moana Pasifika, and only got home courtesy of a penalty try after the siren.
But as a rematch against the Crusaders looms, seeking revenge for a 34-28 loss at Eden Park earlier this season, MacDonald said any issues exposed by Moana Pasifika are easily fixable over the coming week.
"I don't think it really has a big impact on next week's game," he added. "I think we'll be ready to go.
"We'll make some key changes in key positions, obviously, that's going to help. The play that we're unhappy with was a lack of experience in certain positions.
"The pack got through some pretty decent work today. The scrum did a good job in Fiji last week, it was strong again today. Lots of parts of the lineout functioned well.
"Our discipline - which has been really good all year - all of a sudden became poor. That's something we can fix up pretty quickly, because we know we can get that right."
The Blues could also be boosted by the return of former captain Patrick Tuipulotu, who's battled a knee injury this year.
"Patrick's looking really good. He had a good runaround today.
"He's starting to look more likely."
Next week's clash pits the second-placed Blues against the third-placed Crusaders, with both registering wins on Saturday night.
