Wales prop Gethin Jenkins will be out to make an impact against his former side when Toulon visit Cardiff in the Heineken Cup on Sunday.
The former Blues stalwart has struggled to win a regular starting spot with his new French club as England's Andrew Sheridan has generally featured in the run-on side.
Jenkins knows the European Cup is the perfect stage to showcase his talents ahead of the November internationals and also offers a chance to convince British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland of his value.
Jenkins has started five of the Lions' last six Test matches on the 2005 and 2009 tours but both he and Sheridan have been warned that they are not guaranteed a spot in the squad to travel to Australia next June.
"It's been a big change in terms of the lifestyle and culture and the rugby is completely different," Jenkins recently said of his move to Toulon.
"I've enjoyed it, obviously although I haven't played as many games as I'd have liked, but I'm getting used to the surroundings.
"In France I've been on the bench a few times so there are positives in that you get a certain amount of rest.
"I'm raring to go now and with the autumn internationals with Wales coming up I'm really looking forward to it."
Jenkins added that playing in the same team as the likes of Matt Giteau, Jonny Wilkinson, Springbok enforcer Bakkies Botha and behemoth former All Black prop Carl Heyman had taken some time to adjust to.
"I'm just getting used to the different environment at the moment. With some of those great players you learn something off them every day and, for me, it's just a case of getting more games under my belt and getting used to the style of rugby out in France," he said.
Toulon will be out to gain revenge for the Amlin Challenge Cup Final lost the Blues three seasons ago and will take a much-changed side to Wales this weekend.
Only six players in the current Toulon squad, including former English fly-half Wilkinson and ex-Springbok Joe van Niekerk, were present when the Mediterranean club went down 28-21 to the Blues in Marseille in May 2010.
"I remember it very well," Jocelino Suta, Toulon's Vanuatu-born lock who has just received a call-up to the France squad, told AFP
"We were in it in the first half but the game turner was Jonny's exit (with a back injury in the 47th minute).
"Without him, we didn't manage the kicking game well against a team that played all the balls and all kicks right though to the final whistle."
Aside from Suta, Wilkinson and Van Niekerk, the other Toulon players present were hooker Sebastien Bruno, Georgian prop Davit Kubriashvili and Argentina flanker Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe.
Scrum-half Pierre Mignoni has since hung up his boots, but now coaches Toulon's backline, and said he was satisfied with the team's winning start to their European Cup campaign - after their convincing 37-16 victory over French rivals Montpellier. The Blues lost 34-33 to Sale in Pool 6's other match.
"It was very important to start this competition well, especially at home," said Mignoni said.
"We know that if we want to qualify, you have to win almost all the matches. It's a good start, but we'll head to Cardiff very motivated in a bid to bag a second victory."
Comments
makemehappy says...
Glad he's had a well earned rest (relatively). Is in a different class to Sheridan, as everyone knows, bar Toulon. Still first choice for the Lions.
Posted 13:16 19th October 2012