Crowds' delight at Blues' successes a big motivator as high-fliers prepare for fortnight on the road.
The top Australian team has to take on the in-form team of the tournament after a sloppy first half last week saw them lose the Crusaders 37-26.
The pacey midfielder has a hamstring strain that could be covered by the Blues in the short term, but may prove a concern during playoffs.
The Blues were too much for another Australian side on their home turf, taking a comfortable 53-26 win in front of 19,000 Aucklanders.
Andrew Hore believes the competition needs to move from a "high performance product which underpins the All Blacks" back to being about entertaining rugby.
It was all teed up for captain Dalton Papalii when he was asked about wearing zinc to training in May.
Blues captain thankful to be able to give back after years of defeats and disappointment.
The former Ireland head coach has added international experience and a demanding attitude to Super Rugby Pacific's high-fliers.
A consistently good pack, freakish backs and defensive intensity are the keys to Blues success as they eye home finals, the halfback says.
In putting 11 tries past the Rebels at Eden Park, the Blues set an attacking benchmark they are likely to achieve again, writes Patrick McKendry.
After coughing up two tries in the first five minutes, the Blues stormed back to score 10 unanswered tries on their way to a 71-28 win at Eden Park.
A win over the Rebels at Eden Park on Friday night would take the Blues to 10 consecutive wins - their best ever is 12, set way back in 1997.
The Kiwi Super Rugby Pacific sides have started the latest round with wins overseas but more challenges await.
Ian Foster expects the flurry of Super Rugby red cards to continue in Test matches this season and says his players will have modify their technique.
An AJ Lam brace and runaway intercept try from Rieko Ioane helped the Blues to a 35-18 victory at AAMI Park.
"A few of the boys were a bit surprised when [Warbrick] told us he'd signed with the Storm but I was just like, I can see it," said Caleb Clarke.
Patrick McKendry: The excellent captaincy of loose forward Dalton Papalii is something the traditionally under-performing franchise has lacked.
The suspension for the Crusaders lock was predictable, but the three-week ban for Hurricane Asafo Aumua is evidence the match officials got it very wrong.
Patrick McKendry: Numbers don't add up for Crusaders and All Blacks lock, who faces more than three weeks on the sidelines after high tackle.
1News has sourced figures from Nielsen TAM which show declining primetime (7pm/7.30pm games) TV viewership for the competition, with the early rounds of 2022 averaging around 100,000 viewers.