| Having suffered a career threatening ankle dislocation and break in only the second Magners League match of the season, Robin Sowden Taylor makes the starting XV, having worked his way back to fitness playing two Premiership matches for Glamorgan Wanderers.
The Blues welcome the return of back row forward Andy Powell and centre Tom Riley. Powell required shoulder reconstruction surgery after coming off injured in the friendly match against Bristol in August while Riley also suffered a shoulder injury in the win against Wasps in September.
Although the Backs are largely unchanged, there are a number of changes in the Pack. Returning to the starting line-up are two British Lions Gethin Jenkins and Tom Shanklin, both were unavailable for the EDF Energy Cup Semi Final at the Millennium Stadium a fortnight ago. The other changes in the Forwards see Mark Lewis joining Robin in the Back Row and Bradley Davies partnering Rob Sidoli at Second Row.
Shanklin will captain the side for the third time and Sspeaking ahead of the game Shanklin said: "Xavier Rush is suffering from a throat infection and won't be involved this weekend, so I'm honoured to lead the troops out for the match."
"Hopefully it will be a hat trick of wins for me as we won when I captained the team at home against Ulster and also out in Galway previously - hopefully that is a lucky omen when we play Connacht this weekend."
"I don't think the role will affect my game hugely, but it is a role that I will take seriously. We have a job to do out in Connacht and we are all focused on that."
Martyn Williams gets a well earned rest while Jamie Robinson has a slight groin strain and is also rested as a precaution.
15 Ben Blair
14 Tom James
13 Tom Shanklin
12 Marc Stcherbina
11 Chris Czekaj
10 Nicky Robinson
9 Mike Phillips
8 Mark Lewis
7 Robin Sowden-Taylor
6 Scott Morgan
5 Rob Sidoli
4 Bradley Davies
3 Taufa'ao Filise
2 Gareth Williams
1 Gethin Jenkins
16 Scott Roberts
17 T. Rhys Thomas
18 Deiniol Jones
19 Andy Powell
20 Ed Fairhurst
21 Nick Macleod
22 Tom Riley
Injury update
Having ripped the muscle from his hip while playing against Ulster in Belfast in October Rhys Williams is also aiming to be back in contention in for the Blues next week.
Gary Powell is unavailable for selection this weekend due to a minor groin strain. John Yapp and Duane Goodfield are out of action for the rest of the season with knee and shoulder injuries respectively while James Goode is hoping to be back in contention in the next week or two.
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