Coach Clayton McMillan said the breakdown would also be critical. It didn't matter what side you played; getting those fundamentals correct gave you a chance for success.
But given the rivalry between the neighbouring sides and the match-ups between individuals, there was extra incentive to dominate in those areas.
McMillan said he respected the Blues because they had made many strides over the last few years and were playing a power game with power athletes.
"If you allow them to get their game going they are extremely hard."
It was a special game whenever the two sides met, and it would be great to be playing that home in front of a 'feverish and packed out FMG stadium'. It was a great opportunity for the Chiefs to extend their winning run.
"If we're good enough we'll get the job done."
He wasn't placing too much store on their unbeaten record this year. The past wasn't a predictor for the future, he said.
McMillan was more concerned that complacency needed to be kept in check. Continually striving to get better was one element in preventing that from happening.
"One thing I am most proud about with this team is they have kept their feet well and truly grounded and they love the grind and want to get better so we need to do that if we want to be genuine contenders."
McMillan said their defeat by the Blues last year, who held the Chiefs scoreless for the first time in Super Rugby, had been mentioned during the week.
His memory was that the Chiefs bombed two or three scoring chances. However, there were also some positive things to come out of the loss and some lessons that would be applied to Saturday's clash.