The Blues might be losing Nick Evans and Isa Nacewa permanently but don't expect them to be moving from their new positions just yet as their team's quest for an unlikely Super 14 semifinal continues with a trip to Dunedin this weekend.

Nacewa is off to Irish club Leinster and Evans has confirmed a move to English club Harlequins. But first theres' a job to finish with the Blues and both players are central to the do-or-die cause as the playoffs race intensifies.

Blues coach David Nucifora was giving little away in the leadup to Saturday night's showdown with the Highlanders at Carisbrook.

But he hinted that the improvement in his side over the last two weeks where he has switched Evans to fullback and brought Nacewa forward to first five-eighths was enough to keep pressing on with that formation.

A bonus point loss to the Crusaders and a bonus point win over the Reds have somehow kept the Blues in the semifinal equation.

The backline switch has brought mixed reviews from some critics but there has been a noticeable lift in the Blues' attacking game over the past two rounds and they know they must secure a bonus point win over the plucky Highlanders if they are to stay alive.

"Nothing is settled ... we will keep addressing things each week and make decisions which suit," Nucifora said when asked about continuing with the Nacewa-Evans ploy.

"One of the things that has been obvious is those rounds when we weren't scoring tries and we were being criticised ... we scored about seven tries in five rounds ... well, we have scored seven tries in the last two games now.

"So we are getting some organisation back into our attack and it has been working in the last two weeks.

"We will have a look at the Highlanders and see what they offer and make a decision on Nick and Isa.

"But at the moment being able to move them around between the two positions is working out alright for us."

Evans himself isn't fussed about where he plays against his old franchise this weekend.

"I'm just enjoying my footy. Getting this decision out and done and dusted is good. I'm looking forward to getting out and playing wherever I'm put at the moment. I'm just glad to be out there," said Evans when quizzed over playing fullback as he confirmed his shift to England.

Evans and Nacewa haven't been the only ones helping in the last couple of weeks. It's no coincidence that the Blues' attacking revival has also come with the halfback's starting jersey being handed to young Taniela Moa.

His power and willingness to attack from the base of the breakdowns has certainly helped their go-forward.

The Blues got lucky last weekend with other results going their way and while the Crusaders are 10 points clear, just six points separate the second placed Waratahs from the seventh-placed Blues going into this penultimate round.

"From our point of view things rolled out pretty well," smiled Nucifora.

"The results panned out probably the way we wanted them to go. The main thing was we did our job and got our five points so next weekend we will look at it the same way - do our job and hopefully some of the results will fall into line again.

"We need five points again, we need to maximise the points each week."

Nucifora warns that won't be an easy task in the deep south. Yes the Highlanders are trekking back from South Africa but they are buoyed from their second win of the season - a gutsy victory over the Cheetahs - and they take special pleasure out of playing the Blues, particularly at the House Of Pain.

"Down there they are a very difficult team to beat and they don't roll over for anyone. We are going to have to play well ... we are going to have to play smart football and take our opportunities.

"The Gordon Hunter Trophy is always a big game between the two teams, so that will add something a bit extra to it."

The Blues have a couple of worrying injuries to senior players Troy Flavell and Tony Woodcock.

Flavell was forced off with a hamstring twinge in the second half of the win over the Reds and Woodcock emerged from the Brisbane match with a sore toe.

Woodcock was in a moonboot at training but that was more precautionary to keep the weight off the toe than anything else.

With the Highlanders boasting a big and talented front row in emerging props Jamie Mackintosh and Clint Newland, the Blues will need every bit of power and experience they can gather.

The scrum battle looms as influential to this match given the form of both packs in this key area.