Backup halfback Bryn Hall broke his jaw and lock Liaki Moli injured a knee ligament in weekend club rugby while wing George Moala is banned for his high shot on Highlanders wing Buxton Popoali'i. Waisake Naholo is likely to get Moala's role.
Faumuina has torn his calf muscle and with forecasts about his return as long as 14 weeks, the Blues have decided to replace him rather than risk a recurrence if they pushed his recovery.
Those dramas were balanced by the side's 29-18 victory against the Highlanders when former skipper Keven Mealamu returned from his sabbatical and halfback Piri Weepu hinted at his top form.
"He's heading that way. He was a month behind in his training but is match fit now and ready to play his best," coach John Kirwan said.
Others like midfield back Jackson Willison had come in and done a fine job on defence with 18 tackles while his communication was a huge asset.
There were set piece issues to sort out but Mealamu's experience would help as it had against the Highlanders. "He came on at a critical moment and we got out of a situation where we were under the pump about a penalty try," Kirwan said.
The Blues' aim was a repeat success on Saturday at Eden Park before a rest for their second bye.
"We need to go to our break with two wins out of three in this little patch, so we can stay on the others' coat tails," Kirwan said.
Victory against the Highlanders had steadied their self-esteem. They started poorly but picked it up and needed more of that rhythm against the Hurricanes.
"They play closer to our style than anyone else and enjoy running from most parts of the field. Their win against the Waratahs was a great result. They are such a threat if they get any turnovers and if you relax on defence they will hurt you," Kirwan said.
The 'Canes had an arsenal of attacking threats with men like Julian Savea, captain Conrad Smith and Andre Taylor and had shown they could compete up front even with a number of players out injured.
The Hurricanes are on an unbeaten four game stretch after their strikeforce and Beauden Barrett's potent 21 points kicking haul combined to see off the Waratahs.
Their minds are on increasing their cohesion if they are to repeat last year's buzzer-beating victory.
"I think when we look back on that game they should have beaten us so we can't expect to pull that off again," Smith said. "If we want to win we have to earn it."
The Blues will get into their selection choices today with Waisake Naholo likely to replace the suspended Moala on the left wing. Configuring the scrum and sorting the lineout glitches will be priority against a Canes side which has been reliable in those areas.
- Wynne Gray of the New Zealand Herald
