The Western Force still sit in contention - but Simon Cron admits they must make their own history to earn their maiden finals berth - and a historic win at Eden Park would go a long way.
The WA side had to lick their wounds following a 56-22 loss against the ladder-leading Chiefs but with several big stars coming back - notably Kurtley Beale - the head coach knows there are no excuses.
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"They're all big," Cron told reporters.
"Every week's a biggie. But it's a really important game and the boys are ready to go."
A win on the road will do wonders for the Force, with the Waratahs and Moana Pasifika in striking distance - but the likes of an experienced head like Beale starting will ease several selection headaches, with Cron revealing the side has been easing him back in gently following his Achilles injury.
"He had obviously passed a lot of protocols around his physical side, and he's had a good three or four weeks of full training. I think now's the right time to bring him in and give him a good go at it," Cron said.
"What he does add is an enormous presence on the field. He's got a great voice.
"Everyone in front of him does a lot of good stuff when he's on the field. He communicates a lot. He's got beautiful running lines, great catch pass skillset. All of those things that he's renowned for, he still possesses.
"He's a great man to watch play."
The match will also mark a special occasion for Bayley Kuenzle, who will earn his 50th Super Rugby cap.
"He's a big part of the Western Force. He's a big part of our squad," said Cron of Kuenzle, who will start at outside centre alongside Hamish Stewart.
"He is just a lovely bloke who works really, really hard. (The) boys love playing next to him, to get his 50th with us is really cool."
While the Blues are struggling to fire themselves in 2025, the Force have never defeated them at Eden Park - and haven't defeated the Auckland side since 2008.
However, Cron is hoping that the Force's newfound robustness - plus a selection of players who have never played on the hallowed turf - should be enough to negate the aura of the venue.
"It's a field, it's grass, it's white lines," said Cron, when asked about the psychological impact of the venue.
"It's important that we can perform on any surface at any time. So for us, it's just about focusing on what we do and how we do that.
"It's a privilege to play there. The boys are excited, we travel to a lot of stadiums, they're all pretty cool in different ways.
"Seeing Eden Park today, it's a great opportunity for the boys to get their captain's run in and get a feel for what it will be tomorrow night."
Cron also revealed the side has picked up on several key lessons from the Chiefs loss, which they will look to rectify this weekend against the Blues' pack.
"We looked at some defensive connections that are important for us. Little things within our system.
"Making sure we don't miss tackles, working hard on individual one-on-one chop tackles and making sure that we don't fall off those, scoring tries. There's a couple of opportunities we left out on the park. We revisited all of those and worked on those core skills."
While the Force's record outside of WA is still a work in progress, Cron also admitted that such an opportunity for a tour brings the chance to re-examine their program.
"We're definitely constantly looking at our load management, especially when we fly.
"Now we've been here for a little while, the boys are settling in. There's a lot of card games going on, a lot of fun - there's an enormous amount of banter that gets thrown back and forward, no matter where you are.
"Even some at me. It's all part of the fun of being in the environment."
