Five players who started against Pontypridd last Wednesday will feature in the starting XV. Ben Blair, Ben White, Paul Tito, Gary Powell and Ross Johnson all keep their places in a team that features Jamie Roberts playing on the wing and a new second row partnership of Paul Tito and Bradley Davies.

Speaking of the selection David Young said, "We've tried to change things around from the Pontypridd match so we can try different combinations. I think it's important we make sure that all the members of the squad have a chance to play alongside each other."

"Rhys Williams has a slight hamstring injury so Jamie Roberts plays on the wing which he has done before. We're not blessed with huge numbers in the backs, due to injuries and international selection, so we are trying players in different positions in case they have to play there during the start of the season.

"The Rugby World Cup will be a difficult period from most teams so a friendly match is the ideal time to try things out.

"I think both the Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC players and supporters are looking forward to the match. We are very grateful to both Pontypridd and Cardiff for agreeing to play the fixtures; the matches weren't ideal timing, so we appreciate them helping us out," added Young.

The match will be the first of the season for Xavier Rush who has recovered form a neck injury at starts at No.8, while Duane Goodfield is also likely to have his first run out of the season from the bench after recovering from shoulder surgery.

Cardiff Blues:
15. Ben Blair
14. Jamie Roberts
13. Tal Selley
12. Marc Stcherbina
11. Tom James
10. Dai Flannigan
9. Jason Spice
1. John Yapp
2. Gareth Williams / Ross Johnson
3. Gary Powell
4. Bradley Davies
5. Paul Tito
6. Ben White
7. Rhys Shellard
8. Xavier Rush

Replacements:
Nick Macloed
Daf Hewitt
Nicky Robinson
Richard Rees
Mark Lewis
Robin Sowden-Taylor
Mamma Molitika
Robert Sidoli
Deiniol Jones
Scott Roberts
Duane Goodfield
Rhys Gill