Powell's ball carrying and game-breaking ability secured him a place on the plane to South Africa with Britain and Ireland's elite next month but those talents do not look as though they will be enough to see him start for his region this weekend.

The Blues face Guinness Premiership top seeds Leicester Tigers in an eagerly-anticipated European showdown at the Millennium Stadium but Powell looks set to be named among the replacements.

The Blues put 50 points past Gloucester to claim EDF Energy Cup glory 10 days ago, with Powell's positional rival Xavier Rush producing a sublime display from the base of the scrum.

The form shown by Rush, together with that of the team as a whole, means Powell is likely to have to make do with making an impact from the bench.

"We're not going to make many changes after recent performances," said Blues coach and former Lions tourist Dai Young.

"It would be a brave man to break up some of those combinations after those results.

"Andy put his hand up for selection last weekend, but Xavier was outstanding against Gloucester.

"In the past we haven't had a bench that can make an impact. Now we've got guys who can come on and take us to another level."