Cardiff Blues A have made three changes for Friday’s Celtic Cup clash against Munster A at Irish Independent Park (KO 6.00pm).
Wales’ Capital Region will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat at the hands of Ospreys as they travel to Cork with three matches remaining in the campaign.
Macauley Cook retains the captaincy for the away clash, but is joined in the second row by the returning Ben Murphy, who will bolster the pack with his experience.
The other change in the pack sees Cardiff Blues academy’s Alun Lawrence, who scored in the senior pre-season clash against Bedford Blues last week, named at number eight, with Aled Ward of Cardiff Met RFC moving onto the bench.
Joining Lawrence in the back row are Tim Grey, who has joined the region from RGC on a short term contract for the Celtic Cup campaign, and James Botham, who penned his first senior deal earlier this year.
The front row remains unchanged, with 18 year old Theo Bevacqua retaining his spot at loosehead after an impressive display against Ospreys.
The only personnel change in the backline sees Ioan Davies return to the number 15 jersey, while Dafydd Smith and Mason Grady switch positions, with the latter moving from outside centre to the wing.
Joint head coach Gethin Jenkins said: “There’s not a lot of changes to the squad this week, so the group have a good opportunity to learn from last week’s loss against Ospreys and implement those lessons on the pitch.
“It’s been a challenging campaign, but we’re happy to have a settled group this week which is bolstered by a couple of experienced boys and we’ll be looking for those boys to drive the group and lead by example.
“Munster is always a tough place to go, and we’re expecting another big challenge in Cork, with a typically strong pack and set piece game, which means we’ll have to be on the money in that area.
“We’re extremely grateful to clubs like Glamorgan Wanderers, Bedlinog and Cardiff Met who have been brilliant in supporting us over the past two weeks, and we’ve been impressed with the attitude of those boys coming into the squad.”
Glamorgan Wanderers’ Rob Lewis is in-line for his Celtic Cup debut, joining club team-mate Josh Male in the matchday 23, while Bedlinog’s Dylan Williams retains his place on the bench.
Cardiff Blues A: Ioan Davies; Alex Varney, Dafydd Smith, Josh Male, Mason Grady; Rhys Davies, Ethan Lloyd; Theo Bevacqua, Ethan Lewis, Will Davies King, Ben Murphy, Macauley Cook (capt), Tim Grey, Jim Botham, Alun Lawrence
Replacements: Cameron Lewis, Rob Lewis, Ben Warren, Teddy Williams, Aled Ward, Zak Bartlett, Jacob Beetham, Dylan Williams