The former Wales skipper has been sidelined since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in October, with his most-recent outing for the region coming in the Heineken Cup opener against Exeter 23 weeks ago.
His return to the replacements’ bench comes at a welcome time for the Blues given their recent poor run of form, with last Friday’s thumping at the Ospreys preceded by defeat at Zebre and three other league loses since they beat the Dragons at the turn of the year.
Caretaker coaches Dale McIntosh and Paul John will be hoping that the 33-year-old’s remarkable recovery will inspire his team-mates after a disappointing display in Swansea that the pair described as an ‘injustice to the jersey’.
“We have missed him, both off the field and on the pitch. He has come back in and called a spade a spade. He has really intensified training because of his attitude and just given the boys a huge, huge lift,” said McIntosh.
“They look at him and think about what this guy has gone through. It is unbelievable and we have got no right to complain or be half-hearted in anything we do.
“It’s phenomenal news. What can you say about the guy. He’s an inspiration to us all. We have lost talismanic men in guys like Sam Warburton and Leigh Halfpenny, who are two icons in what they do. So it’s great to have Matthew coming back into the environment, being strong both on and off the pitch.”
Both Warburton and Halfpenny are out for the season with dislocated shoulders but the Blues are still able to call upon the services of Gethin Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert at the Arms Park, with Jenkins skippering the side from loosehead prop.
Lock Lou Reed is set for his 100th RaboDirect PRO12 appearance as he starts for the first time in nearly five months. The former Scarlet hasn’t been in the starting XV since injuring a toe in the win over Treviso in early November but will be now be hoping for a double celebration on Saturday after replacing Chris Dicomidis.
Wing Harry Robinson is unavailable having suffered ankle damage against the Ospreys so Chris Czekaj comes on to the wing but McIntosh and John have otherwise decided to stick with the majority of the side that lost at the Liberty Stadium.
Cardiff Blues: 15 Dan Fish, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Isaia Tuifua, 11 Chris Czekaj, 10 Gareth Davies, 9 Lewis Jones; 1 Gethin Jenkins (c), 2 Kristian Dacey, 3 Taufa’ao Filise, 4 Lou Reed, 5 Filo Paulo, 6 Macauley Cook, 7 Josh Navidi, 8 Robin Copeland
Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 James Down, 20 Ellis Jenkins, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Simon Humberstone, 23 Gavin Evans
