Richie McCaw says the Crusaders must keep the penalty count down if they are to reach a second successive Super Rugby final.
The defending champions face the Hurricanes in Christchurch on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Action from 8.15am, with the winner to face either the Lions or Waratahs in the final on August 4.
Former Crusaders skipper McCaw, who retired from all rugby after leading the All Blacks to back-to-back World Cups, watched his old side beat the Sharks 40-10 in last weekend's quarter-final and said the match highlighted areas where they must improve.
"It's the little mistakes and the back-to-back penalties you know that are allowing momentum to go against you," McCaw told TVNZ.
"It can just be one or two things like that and you can go from being on the front foot to all of a sudden, with the guys the Hurricanes have got, being under pressure and it can cost you seven points.
"You saw that against the Sharks; the first 20 minutes was all Crusaders and then a couple of mistakes and it was back to an arm wrestle for a while.
"If they can keep those to a minimum, they've definitely got the skill, and with how they're doing things, they'll be good enough as well."
The 37-year-old McCaw retired after 148 Test caps and more than 140 appearances for the Crusaders, where he won four Super Rugby titles. He still has a slight urge to get out on the field when watching them play.
"There's a little bit [of feeling] that sits there, but you get past that and I just enjoy seeing the guys carry on and keeping the Crusaders top of the list," he said.