Six of the ten players from the Wales squad have returned to the Blues fold, with three involved with the Barbarians at Twickenhamm on Saturday and Bradley Davies not considered for selection following his ankle injury whilst with Wales.
There is also a place in the squad for recent arrival and Air New Zealand Cup winner, Casey Laulala.
The Blues recorded a 58-0 victory against Connacht at home last season, but after home defeats against London Irish and the tourists Australia, the Blues will be keen to record a win against the basement club.
Captain Paul Tito said:
“Connacht are a very dogged team, they may not be as flashy or flamboyant as other teams, but they do the basics very well. They have a strong set piece and like to dog wins out which they do very effectively.
“We were all disappointed to lose out there (Gallway) in September, in what was a very tight encounter, so hopefully we will get one back on them this weekend.
“Its been a fairly disappointing start to our Magners League campaign this year, with games not going our way, however this has not been through a lack of trying or hard work by all the coaches and players.
“We’ve welcomed Casey Laulala to the squad and he will be a good addition to the team. I’ve played against him once or twice back in New Zealand so know what a quality player he is.
“We are quite strong in midfied already so hopefully it will be a real scrap for selection which will bring out the best in all players competing in those positions.
“I hope we can put in a good performance, so the fans can get behind us and we’ll come away with the win that will give us some much needed Magners League points.”
Tickets are still on sale, with a buy one get one free offer still running till close of business Saturday. The ticket office is open Saturday, as there is a football game at the stadium. Call 0845 345 1400 or www.cardiffblues.com/tickets
CARDIFF BLUES: BEN BLAIR, RICHARD MUSTOE, CASEY LAULALA, TOM SHANKLIN, TOM JAMES, SAM NORTON-KNIGHT, GARETH COOPER, GETHIN JENKINS, T RHYS THOMAS, FAAO FILISE, DEINIOL JONES, PAUL TITO (C), SAM WARBURTON, MARTYN WILLIAMS, XAVIER RUSH
REPLACEMENTS: RHYS WILLIAMS, GARY POWELL, SCOTT MORGAN, ANDRIES PRETORIUS, RICHIE REES, CERI SWEENEY, GARETH THOMAS
