MAGNERS LEAGUE Venue: Sportsground, Galway Date: 18 September Kick-off: 1900 BST Coverage: Updates on BBC Sport website, highlights on Sunday's Scrum V
Jamie Roberts was named as the player of the tour for the Lions
British and Irish Lions player-of-the-tour Jamie Roberts makes his comeback for the Blues in Friday's Magners League game against Connacht in Galway.
He replaces Dafydd Hewitt in the centre with Richie Rees in for Gareth Cooper at scrum-half and three pack changes.
Gareth Williams replaces Rhys Thomas at hooker, Bradley Davies takes Deiniol Jones' spot at lock and Sam Warburton is in for flanker Robin Sowden-Taylor.
Brett Wilkinson and Miah Nikora come into the Connacht side.
Wilkinson returns from injury and starts at loosehead, with Ronan Loughney included among the replacements.
Nikora will make his first competitive start when he takes over from Ian Keatley at out-half.
Prop Robbie Morris and centre Niva Ta'auso were not considered because of injury.
Centre Gavin Evans is on the bench and could play his first Blues game.
Ceri Sweeney retains the fly-half jersey ahead of Sam Norton-Knight.
"Jamie Roberts has had his scans, he's fine and raring to go," Blues coach Dai Young said about the imposing centre.
"He's had his five weeks off and his six weeks pre-season, those are the guidelines we've been told to work to.
"He's knocking on the door and really eager to get the shirt on and play [against Connacht]."
Centre Tom Shanklin, who suffered the devastating blow of missing the Lions tour with a shoulder injury, is targeting the Scarlets game on 26 September for his comeback, as is Wales wing Tom James.
Gethin Jenkins hopes to be back from his shoulder injury in late October, although Young has suggested that November could be more realistic.
Fellow Lions Leigh Halfpenny and Andy Powell have already returned for the Cardiff-based region.
The Blues have lost their last four games in the league and have only once before lost five in a row in the competition.
The Blues have won on two of their last three trips to Ireland, while Connacht's only victory in their dozen previous encounters with the Cardiff region was 13-9 at the Sportsground on 3 September, 2005.
Evans eager to press Blues case
"We find it difficult to get into our game at the minute because we are not winning quality ball and when we do win it we are not holding on to it," said Young.
"It's as simple as that really. Until we sort those two areas out we are going to struggle.
"Connacht are a very abrasive team and very confident at home. It always seems to be windy over in Galway and they play the conditions well.
"Where we are at the moment I feel the next two matches are massive games for us. We want to get the win under our belt and then we face the Scarlets at home."
The Blues have lost their first two games of the Magners League season and Young admits: "Where we are at the moment I feel the next two matches are massive games for us.
"We want to get the win under our belt and then we face the Scarlets at home."
"We start with Connacht, who are a difficult team for any side to face at the Sportsground but I feel we have enough quality to win. However, we have to make sure we match that quality with the desire, hunger and accuracy to get the right result."
Connacht: Gavin Duffy; Brian Tuohy, Troy Nathan, Keith Matthews, Fionn Carr; Miah Nikora, Frank Murphy; Brett Wilkinson, Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan; Andrew Browne, Bernie Upton; John Muldoon (c), Ray Ofisa, Mike McComish. Replacements: Adrian Flavin, Ronan Loughney, Mike McCarthy, Johnny O'Connor, Conor O'Loughlin, Ian Keatley, Aidan Wynne.
Blues: Ben Blair; Leigh Halfpenny, Gareth Thomas, Jamie Roberts, Chris Czekaj; Ceri Sweeney, Richie Rees; John Yapp, Gareth Williams, Taufa'au Filise, Bradley Davies, Paul Tito (capt), Maama Molitika, Sam Warburton, Xavier Rush. Replacements: Gary Powell, T Rhys Thomas, Deiniol Jones, Andy Powell, Gareth Cooper, Sam Norton-Knight, Gavin Evans.
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