> when applying templates it is possible to filter out unwanted 
> nodes in a 
> number of ways, one is by putting a predicate on the 
> apply-templates command 
> and use modes if you have more than one filter. Another is to 
> apply-templates to all nodes and put a predicate on the 
> template match - 
> this avoids the use of modes.
> 
> Can anyone ... provide advantages of doing the latter?
> 

It's more resilient to unexpected input, e.g. as a result of schema changes.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/