On the back of two straight wins, Blues coach Leon MacDonald has resisted any change to his starting line-up for their Super Rugby Aotearoa clash against the Highlanders in Auckland.

Kick-off is at 09:05 (SA time) on Saturday.

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MacDonald said a number of squad members have pressed hard for inclusion but the current group continued to prove themselves.

This means there's still no chance for All Blacks great Dan Carter to make his Blues debut.

The only change comes among the reserves where England international Joe Marchant is included in what will be his final match for the Blues before returning to his Harlequins club in London.

"The whole squad are training hard, and our current starters are getting tested at every training session, which is what we want," MacDonald told the Blues' official website.

"This group of 23 continue to do the business. They are developing well to the style of game we want to play and adapting positively to the new rule emphasis, which will lead to a more exciting and fluid game.

"It is the last game before our first bye which will give us the opportunity to reset for the next block of games.

"It is also Joe’s final hit-out with the team. He has been a popular and outstanding member of the team and we will miss him. He has contributed well on and off the field and we are confident he will return as a more complete footballer for the experience when he returns to Harlequins."

MacDonald added that several players should return to play through club rugby in the coming two weeks and be available for selection for the Crusaders match after a bye.

The Blues beat the Highlanders 33-26 at Eden Park last year, while the tight battle between the two sides is evidenced with nine of last 17 clashes decided by seven points or less.

After wins over the Hurricanes (30-20, Auckland) and Chiefs (24-12, Hamilton), the Blues currently top the Super Rugby Aotearoa standings.

Teams:

Blues

15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Mark Telea, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Otere Black, 9 Sam Nock, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 2 James Parsons, 1 Alex Hodgman

Substitutes: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Marcel Renata, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Tony Lamborn, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Joe Marchant

Highlanders

15 Scott Gregory, 14 Sam Gilbert, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Sio Tomkinson, 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Mitch Hunt, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Marino Mikaele Tu'u, 7 Dillon Hunt, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Josh Dickson, 4 Pari Pari Parkinson, 3 Siate Tokolahi, 2 Ash Dixon, 1 Ayden Johnstone

Substitutes: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 20 Teariki Ben-Nicholas, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Bryn Gatland, 23 Ngane Punivai