Smith back for Blues

The match also sees Richard Fussell, Lewis Evans, Nigel Hall and Captain Tom Willis return to the starting line-up.

Despite the Blues' exhausting match on Sunday and devastating exit from the Heineken Cup, Welsh international Luke Charteris, who will be making his seventy fourth start for the region is wary of the Blues' reaction for this game.

"It's true that they will be gutted after Sunday's game, but they may well come out fighting," he said "They will clearly rest players but when you have the likes of Gareth Thomas in the wings, that's a lot of experience to bring in.

"Now their Heineken Cup campaign is over, they will have woken up to find themselves in a dog-fight with us and the Scarlets for automatic qualification and they are going to want to get something out of the end of the season.

"We don't know what the Blues team will be but obviously they all have the same coaching team so we know the style of rugby to expect and so we'll be concentrating on that instead of individuals. Whatever they do, we are well-prepared and determined not to finish fourth out of the regions."

Newport Gwent Dragons team for Blues

Jason Tovey, Gareth Wyatt, Rhodri Gomer Davies, Ashley Smith, Richard Fussell, Shaun Connor, Wayne Evans, Adam Black, Tom Willis (Capt), Nigel Hall, Hoani Macdonald, Luke Charteris, Dan Lydiate, Lewis Evans, Joe Bearman

Replacements

Steve Jones, Hugh Gustafson, Andrew Hall, Grant Webb, Aled Brew, James Arlidge, Alex Walker.