Cardiff Blues director of rugby Dai Young has warned his side of the dangers of in-form Connacht as they prepare for their Magners League match at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight.
The Galway-side, who sit two places below the Blues at fifth in the table, have been the league’s surprise package this season having notched impressive wins against the Dragons and Glasgow and also drawing with Ulster.
The Blues welcome 28-year-old All Black Casey Laulala back into the centre after missing the trip to the Dragons with a head injury.
Another Kiwi talisman Xavier Rush will start at No.8 after brushing off a knee injury, while Gareth Cooper makes his first start of the season at scrum-half.
And Young has highlighted the work-rate of Connacht as a source of problems, but the former prop believes his side will ultimately have too much power for the Irish outfit.
He said: “They are always a difficult team to play against and they’ve played some great stuff this year.
“They were only 30 seconds away from being unbeaten, so I’m a little bit worried about this match.
“They have always been a potential banana skin for everybody because of their work-rate, commitment and desire.
“That’s the first thing we will have to match, but they have also added a little bit of quality and innovation to their game which makes it a little bit more difficult.
“But I’d like to think if we can match what they bring, that we’ve got that bit of extra quality in our side that can take us home.”
