The Blues have been teetering on the brink ever since a run of three successive defeats last month.

But they continue to cling on, thanks to bonus-point victories over the Reds and the Highlanders over the past two rounds.

"We're the most experienced side going into the last week with dealing with pressure situations, I suppose -- we've been doing it for a while," Nucifora said.

"We've managed to do what we said we would for the past fortnight. There were a few doubters about us being able to score four tries but we managed to come home with it, so we're alive."

The equation for the Blues is a tricky one, with the only certainty being that, if they lose to the Hurricanes, they're out.

If they win, whether or not with a bonus point, they still need other results to go their way over the course of the weekend.

For the second-placed Hurricanes, the picture is a little clearer.

Victory at Eden Park will see them finish in the top four. Win with a bonus point and they will be guaranteed a home semifinal.

But lose to the Blues and they, too, will be at the mercy of other results.

For the Blues, it would be a case of "much the same" as what had worked over the past two weeks, Nucifora said.

The emphasis would be on controlled rugby to achieve the primary goal of a win, rather than chasing the bonus point and producing any looseness that the Hurricanes would punish.

"First thing, we'll be trying to win the game because we know that winning puts us in a position to make the top four," he said.

"Obviously, the bonus points puts us in a stronger position to make the four, but control will be the issue for us."

If the Blues fail to get past this weekend, Nucifora will have had his last match in charge after three seasons with the Auckland-based franchise.

Nucifora, who guided the Blues to the semifinals last year, is heading back to his native Australia.

Also confirmed as leaving are backs Nick Evans, Isa Nacewa and David Smith, and skipper Troy Flavell, with Smith transferring to Wellington and the others going overseas.

Nucifora said the impending departures hadn't been factor in the build-up this week.

"We've been living on the edge now for a few weeks and we've just focused on preparing as well as we can," he said.

"Nothing else is really on our minds than getting us ready to win."

The Hurricanes have blindside flanker Jerry Collins back from three weeks out with a rib injury, but prop Neemia Tialata sitting out a one-week ban for a dangerous throw.

With the All Black squad to be named in just over two weeks, the contest between Collins and Jerome Kaino will be one feature of the contest.

Another match-up of interest is in the midfield, where the Hurricanes have Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith up against the uncapped pair of Benson Stanley and Anthony Tuitavake.

At hooker, World Cup team-mates Andrew Hore and Keven Mealamu go head-to-head.