Jarrod Evans will make his 100th Cardiff appearance on Sunday as the Blue and Blacks take on Emirates Lions in the United Rugby Championship.
Having been developed through the pathway system, the outside half made his debut for the club’s first team against Glasgow Warriors in 2015.
An eight-times capped Welsh international, who played a key role in the club’s Challenge Cup victory in 2018, Evans will now reach a century of appearances in the famous Blue and Blacks jersey in the Johannesburg encounter.
After being forced off the pitch during the second half of last week’s defeat to Ulster, Evans is passed fit to wear the number 10 jersey, continuing his partnership with Lloyd Williams at half back.
Dai Young has made a total of five changes following the defeat in Belfast, with Matthew Morgan introduced at full back as Hallam Amos drops to the bench.
With Willis Halaholo reunited with the Wales squad, Ben Thomas comes in to partner Rey Lee-Lo in midfield, with the Samoan international marking a significant milestone of his own, reaching 100 appearances in the United Rugby Championship.
Corey Domachowski returns to the front row at Emirates Airlines Park to link up with Kirby Myhill and Dmitri Arhip, as the Moldovan makes his 50th appearance in the blue and black jersey.
Josh Turnbull and Matthew Screech are named in an unchanged second row, but there are two changes in the back row as Shane Lewis-Hughes and Will Boyde return to the starting XV.
The clash on Sunday sees club captain Turnbull over-taking Ian Keatley in second place in the league’s all-time appearance makers (217), trailing only behind former Connacht back row John Muldoon (254).
Looking ahead to the clash, director of rugby Young said: “It wasn’t just a case that I wasn’t happy with last week’s defeat, but the players are honest enough with themselves as well.
“The first thing you have to do is look at yourself. I put my hand up and said that I couldn’t have got it right. The reality is that 1 to 23 weren’t at the races, so preparations couldn’t have been right.
“In saying that, the players were also honest enough to put their hands up. They knew that wasn’t good enough and we’ll have to bounce back this week.
“We’re very respectful of the team that we’re facing and we know these are real quality teams. I know it’s a cliché, but we know we’ll need to be at our best to come away from South Africa with anything.
“A big focus has been on getting ourselves right and back up to the performance levels that we’re happy with. If we adhere and play to those standards but aren’t good enough on the day, then so be it.
“We’re very respectful of them, and know their strengths, but we also want to play to our strengths.”
Amongst the replacements is hooker Kristian Dacey, who is set to feature for the first time since October’s win over Dragons, while Rory Thornton also recovers from the shoulder injury which kept him out of the clash at Kingspan Stadium.
Following his release from the Wales squad earlier this week, Ellis Jenkins will look to bring impact from the bench and is one of 15 academy graduates named in the matchday 23.
Cardiff Rugby: Matthew Morgan; Owen Lane, Rey Lee-Lo, Ben Thomas, Aled Summerhill; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Corey Domachowski, Kirby Myhill, Dmitri Arhip, Josh Turnbull (capt.), Matthew Screech, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Will Boyde, James Botham
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Brad Thyer, Will Davies-King, Rory Thornton, Ellis Jenkins, Jamie Hill, Max Llewellyn, Hallam Amos