Blues without injured lock Davies

Cardiff Blues will be without injured Wales lock Bradley Davies

Cardiff Blues will be without injured lock Bradley Davies for Friday’s crunch Magners League game at the Scarlets.

Centre Casey Laulala and wing Tom James picked up knocks in the Blue’s loss at the Dragons last week and could also miss the crunch game in Llanelli.

The Blues will secure a play-off place if they win, while a Scarlets victory could also see them in the knock-out stage depending on other results.

The Scarlets expect to have key centre Regan King fit after an ankle injury.

The 30-year-old New Zealand fulcrum has spent six years with the Scarlets but will depart to join French side Clermont Auvergne at the end of the season.

Fellow centre Jonathan Davies (dead leg) and flanker Josh Turnbull (toe) are also injury concerns for Scarlets coach Nigel Davies.

Davies’ Blues counterpart Dai Young will have prop John Yapp available after a calf problem, although Gethin Jenkins is still sidelined with his long-term toe injury.

But the loss of key forward Davies for two to six weeks is a blow. The lock is sidelined with a chest injury that also makes him a doubt for Wales’ 4 June clash with the Barbarians.

The Blues must win to ensure a place in the play-offs, but a losing bonus point could keep them ahead of the Scarlets unless the men in red also score four tries in victory.

That would leave the Blues needing to have matched the Scarlets with at least four tries and also lose by fewer than seven points to grab two bonus points in defeat.

But even that result might not prevent the Blues being overtaken by the Ospreys, who will be expecting to come away with the full five points from their trip to Aironi – the Italian side propping up the Magners League with just one win.

The play-off qualification mix is further muddled as Ulster, currently in third place, must travel to face the Dragons in their final match.

Defeat at Rodney Parade could allow both the Blues and Ospreys to overhaul them, although a bonus point will be enough to keep the Ospreys at arm’s length.

Munster will finish top of the table and have home advantage in the play-off semi-finals, while the odds are on Leinster – whose play-off place is also safe – beating Glasgow at the RDS to secure home advantage in the other semi.

Scarlets: tbc

Blues: tbc

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)