The stage is set for Dan Carter and Kieran Read to take command of the Crusaders for the final rocky weeks of Super Rugby, but coach Todd Blackadder is cagey about the duo's prospects of starting against the resurgent Blues.
All Blacks first-five Carter, working his way back after a six-month sabbatical, and number eight Read came off the bench in the second half against the Hurricanes on Saturday but were powerless to stop their side falling to a 16-9 defeat.
The disappointing loss has prompted calls for the pair to be thrown straight in against the Blues.
Blackadder says if required both men could play the full 80 minutes, but he's not confirming their selections just yet.
Blackadder says Carter's selection could become a formality if incumbent first-five Colin Slade fails a concussion test, after being forced from the field with a head knock in Saturday's loss to the Hurricanes.
