Cardiff are seeking revenge

Cardiff v Connacht:IN A meeting of the League's bottom two, Cardiff will be seeking revenge for their defeat to Connacht in round three at the Sportsground. Despite the huge financial gulf between the two – as evidenced by the debut of the Blues latest overseas recruit, ex-All Blacks centre Casey Laulala – only a losing bonus point separates them.

With Cardiff thus outside Heineken Cup qualification as things stand, it’s either a remarkable statement of his belief in his squad or overconfidence, that coach Dai Young has released three of his six Welsh internationals – Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Andy Powell – for the Baabaas’ game against the All Blacks at Twickenham today.

Given Connacht have lost on their six previous visits to the Welsh capital, conceding 88 points and 13 tries on their two most recent visits, perhaps Cardiff’s confidence will be justified. Even so, Connacht’s selection suggests they have targeted this game. John Muldoon captains them in his 100th Magners League match, while Michael Swift will equal Eric Elwood’s record of 161 appearances for Connacht if introduced.

CARDIFF BLUES: B Blair; R Mustoe, C Laulala, T Shanklin, T James; S Norton-Knight, G Cooper; G Jenkins, T Rhys Thomas, F Filise; D Jones, P Tito (capt); S Warburton, M Williams, X Rush. Replacements: R Williams, G Powell, S Morgan, A Pretorius, R Rees, C Sweeney, G Thomas.

CONNACHT: G Duffy; L Bibo, N Ta'auso, A Wynne, F Carr; I Keatley, F Murphy; B Wilkinson, S Cronin, R Morris; M McCarthy, B Upton; J Muldoon (capt), J O'Connor, M McComish. Replacements: A Flavin, R Loughney, M Swift, R Ofisa, C O'Loughlin, M Nikora, B Tuohy.

Referee: Andy Macpherson (SRU).

Forecast: Cardiff to win.