The 27-year-old back row specialist damaged his ankle in the Blues’ Guinness PRO12 clash with the Ospreys on 28 November and hasn’t played since. He returns to the side to face Rugby Calvisano in a must-win game for the Welsh region along with World Cup team mate Gareth Anscombe.
Both men were this week named in Warren Gatland’s Six Nations squad and the Blues will field five other players hoping to be involved in the championship when they aim for a bonus point win over the Italians in round six to try to reach 17 points and overtake Montpellier in second place.
Club captain Gethin Jenkins returns to a front row that is completed by Wales Under 20 squad members Ethan Lewis and prop Dillon Lewis. Head coach Danny Wilson has made 11 changes in all form the side that ran Pool winners Harlequins so close at the Twickenham Stoop last weekend.
“We are not taking this game lightly – we need five points and we are at home so we have picked a strong team to try and do just that. A few players deserve an opportunity and they get the chance to impress,” said Wilson.
“The outcome of our qualification hopes is now out of our hands, all we can concentrate is our performance and getting the five points we need. We will react to what happens elsewhere.
“We need to build a performance because we’ve got another huge league game the week after. It’s massive that we keep winning at home and we want this to be as a hard place for any team to come and we want to build a crowd by winning.
“We know what we need to achieve in this game and we are playing on a fast surface that will suit that game plan. Our intention will be to play and to play at a high tempo.”
