Cardiff aim to give Leicester the blues

LEICESTER are hurtling towards a Pool Four decider against European champions Munster in Limerick tomorrow week, but they cannot allow such an enticing prospect to overshadow their Welford Road appointment with Cardiff Blues this afternoon (3pm, Sky Sports).

Home defeats at the hands of Leicester and Munster effectively destroyed Cardiff’s quarter-final ambitions, and Blues lock Scott Morgan says “payback” is a motivating factor for the Welsh region.

Morgan said: “We were bitterly disappointed after Leicester won such a tight game against us at the Millennium Stadium in October. It has made the season a lot harder for us and we definitely want a bit of payback for what they did to us in Cardiff.

“I was a Bristol player when we beat Leicester (at Welford Road) in 2002, and there’s nothing better in a rugby player’s career than a win up there in front of 16,000 fans. But there are few tougher places to win. You know what to expect, you just have to work really, really hard for everything you get.”

Leicester boss Pat Howard has named 12 internationals in his side for today’s clash. The 2001 and 2002 champions have a further three capped players on the bench. Martin Corry is the skipper.

For the Blues, hooker Duane Goodfield comes in for Rhys Thomas in the only change.

Tom Shanklin is again sidelined by a calf strain, but Taufaao Filise is fit to take his place on the bench. Flanker Martyn Williams sits out the final match of his three-game ban. Fellow open-side Robin Sowden-Taylor (ankle) could be back at the end of the month, while Robert Sidoli (shoulder) and Bradley Davies (ankle) also remain sidelined. Rhys Williams and Andy Powell are out until March, and Tom Riley and John Yapp until next season.

LEICESTER TIGERS: G Murphy, S Rabeni, D Hipkiss, D Gibson, A Tuilagi, I Humphreys, H Ellis, M Ayerza, G Chuter, M Castrogiovanni, L Cullen, L Deacon, S Jennings, L Moody, M Corry (capt).

Replacements: J Buckland, J White, B Kay, J Crane, F Murphy, O Smith, S Vesty.

Leicester Tigers players Louis Deacon (5), Lewis Moody (7) and Daryl Gibson (12) face late fitness tests. If they are ruled out they will be replaced by Ben Kay, Brett Deacon and Ollie Smith respectively with James Hamilton and Leon Lloyd possibly joining the replacements at 18 and 21.

CARDIFF BLUES: B Blair, T James, J Robinson, M Stcherbina, C Czekaj, N Robinson, M Phillips, G Jenkins, D Goodfield, G Powell, D Jones, S Morgan, B White, R Shellard, X Rush (capt).

Replacements: T Filise, G Williams, J Down, A Powell, E Fairhurst, M Luveitasau, N MacLeod.

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).