Dan Parks will miss the Blues' trip to France © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Gethin Jenkins | Dan Parks

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup

Teams: Cardiff Blues | Wales

Cardiff Blues will tackle Castres in the Heineken Cup on Friday without prop Gethin Jenkins and fly-half Dan Parks due to injury.

Jenkins was forced from the field in the Blues' narrow win over Edinburgh last weekend with an ankle problem while Parks is set for a couple of weeks on the sidelines due to a foot injury.

John Yapp and Ceri Sweeney are in line to replace the duo, while there is positive news for coach Dai Young as centre Tom Shanklin has recovered from a head knock.

"They both had scans yesterday and it's looking extremely unlikely that they will be available," Young told The Western Mail. "Gethin's probably nearer to a return than Dan. He rolled his ankle, it's nothing long-term. If he's not back for this week, I'm sure he will be next week.

"Dan's a little further away with a foot injury. He could be out for two weeks but he's walking about on it. We will know more with the results but we're not going to put any players at risk. Dan and Ceri get on really well and support each other. They both want to play and Ceri has never let us down."

The Amlin Challenge Cup champions are also preparing for the game without veteran flanker Martyn Williams, who has been cited for allegedly kneeing Edinburgh fullback Chris Paterson. He faces an ERC panel on Wednesday, with Sam Warburton due to start against Castres.

"We're pretty much planning without Martyn this week. We trained yesterday, have a team run on Thursday and that's pretty much it so we have crack on without him," Young said. "We all know he's not a dirty player. He is recognised the world over as someone who plays fairly. I don't think anyone would accuse Martyn of wrongdoing on a regular basis."