Blues head coach Danny Wilson confirmed the Wales back row man would not be fit to face the Challenge Cup winners at Stade Jean Bouin, but hopes he could come into contention for the final the following weekend if the Blues go through.
“Sam is progressing very well and, hopefully, he will be back fit very soon. If he is back fit and available for selection then great,” said Wilson.
“It’s hard to look past Friday night – once we know the result we can plan for the next week. From Sam’s point of view it is a case of taking it day by day.
“We know he is not available this week, but there is definitely a chance for next week, although how big a chance that is I don’t know. As it stands at the moment, we have more games to play, like other teams, and if we win on Friday we hope he will be available for selection next week if fit.”
The Blues reached the play-offs after finishing seventh in the Guinness PRO12. Last season’s champions, Connacht Rugby, travel to Northampton Saints to the other play-off semi-final.
“It has been a long season and e said at the start that we wanted to qualify for the Champions Cup. The idea was to finish in the top six, but now we’ve got a one-off game in Paris against Stade Francais to keep our chances alive,” said Wilson.
“We are excited by the opportunity and we want to finish the season on a high. Our form is pretty god at the moment with four wins and a draw in our last five games, but we know we have a big challenge ahead of us.
“Stade Francais have some world stars in their ranks and have one of the strongest scrummaging packs in Europe. They were pretty dominant against Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final last weekend.”
