He has made just one change to the forward pack and two in the backs as the Highlanders seek to rebound from their thrilling if slightly deflating one-point loss to the Waratahs in Sydney.
Workhorse flanker Sean Withy moves from openside to blindside, and newcomer Veveni Lasaqa — who looked good off the bench in the opening game — earns a start in the No7 jersey.
Lui Naeata drops out of the starting pack but is ready for action from a bench with a 6-2 split as the Highlanders aim to neutralise the physical Blues.
First-choice halfback Folau Fakatava replaces Nathan Hastie behind the scrum, but Joseph has elected to stick with new first five Taine Robinson, so Cameron Millar remains bench-bound for another week.
Utility man Sam Gilbert switches from fullback to the right wing — Michael Manson drops out of the 23 after making a quiet debut — and youngster Finn Hurley earns just a second Super Rugby start at the back.
Young Southlander Jack Taylor replaces Henry Bell as the reserve hooker, and regular loose forward Will Stodart is brought on to the bench to cover lock.
Lasaqa was a virtual unknown when he signed for the Highlanders last year but the Fijian by way of Bay of Plenty and the Hurricanes has impressed Joseph.
‘‘He’s not overly big but he plays like a big player,’’ the coach said.
‘‘He’s very quick, he’s very good on attack and defence, he’s confrontational and we’re going to need an attitude that’s going to stop the Blues.
‘‘They want a competition by being very direct and we need players that can deal with that.’’
Few would have tipped Robinson to start the opening two games of the season given his unheralded arrival and the presence of rising incumbent Cameron Millar.
Joseph felt Robinson played well against the Waratahs and had a sound kicking game, and both he and Millar would be needed this season.
Gilbert enhances his status as the Highlanders’ everyman with his first start on the wing in Super Rugby in nearly three years.
That suggests a rather conservative approach from the Highlanders — safety over speed — but it does mean the mercurial talents of Hurley get a chance to shine.
Hurley was nursing a wrist injury and had not played as much in preseason as he would have liked, Joseph said.
‘‘He’s getting back to full fitness and we just see this as the kind of game ... give him a crack.
‘‘We know it’s going to be dry, we know we’re going to come under pressure and at times we’re going to have to attack, and he’s kind of that player.
‘‘We’ve got a way that we want to play the game, but I think the first priority for us is to understand how the Blues play and what they bring to the game.
‘‘That’s obviously a real physical edge through the forwards. If the forwards front up then players like Finn will come into the play, but if the forwards have a hard day at the office then it’s very hard for players like Finn to actually participate.’’
Joseph will be hoping the Highlanders do not have to play the Blues down a man for 20 minutes, as was the case when Mitch Dunshea (shoulder on head) and Caleb Tangitau (not releasing) saw yellow in Sydney.
Dunshea was arguably unlucky as he appeared to be merely braced for the impact of a bent-double opponent.
‘‘How do players avoid that scenario? Yeah, I’m not sure.
‘‘There was a line break and there was one isolated player on the ground and there were five Highlanders. That kind of shows you where the players are in terms of their passion to get back and help their team-mates.
‘‘A lot of that is instinctive and it’s the game of rugby, right? But instinct without accuracy looks as though it’s going to be a yellow card so we’ve got to get it right.’’
The Blues are not taking the Highlanders lightly.
Super Rugby player of the year Hoskins Sotutu is back to full fitness and will start at No8, and All Blacks halfback Finlay Christie replaces Taufa Funaki.
Cameron Suafoa moves from No 8 to blindside, replacing Anton Segner, while former Crusaders hooker James Mullan is set for his Blues debut off the bench.
"This competition is going to be extremely competitive between all New Zealand and Australian teams, as we all saw with the close results throughout all matches in the opening round,’’ Blues coach Vern Cotter said.
"We need a strong platform along with accuracy at the collision for us to prosper. When we did this well on Saturday, the team was dangerous but we need to achieve it for longer periods in the game."
Highlanders v Blues
The teams
Highlanders: Finn Hurley, Sam Gilbert, Tanielu Tele’a, Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-captain), Caleb Tangitau, Taine Robinson, Folau Fakatava, Hugh Renton (co-captain), Veveni Lasaqa, Sean Withy, Mitch Dunshea, Fabian Holland, Saula Ma’u, Soane Vikena, Ethan de Groot. Reserves: Jack Taylor, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Sefo Kautai, Will Stodart, Nikora Broughton, Nathan Hastie, Cameron Millar, Lui Naeata.
Blues: Beauden Barrett, Mark Tele’a, Rieko Ioane, AJ Lam, Calab Clarke, Harry Plummer, Finlay Christie, Hoskins Sotutu Dalton Papali’i, Cameron Suafoa, Laghlan McWhannell, Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), Marcel Renata, Ricky Riccitelli, Ofa Tu’ungafasi. Reserves: James Mullan, Josh Fusitu’a, Angus Ta’avao, Josh Beehre, Adrian Choat, Taufa Funaki, Corey Evans, Cole Forbes.
