Keiron Assiratti will join Bristol Bears on a short-term loan as the West Country club target the Gallagher Premiership title.
The Bears are currently second in England’s top flight and have bolstered their tight-head resources following injuries to John Afoa and Jake Armstrong.
Assiratti will link up with the Bears with immediate effect and remain at Ashton Gate for the rest of the Gallagher Premiership season.
Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill was pleased to help Bristol and believes the experience will be of enormous benefit to Assiratti’s continued development.
Mulvihill said: “Azza has committed his long-term future to Cardiff Blues but this will be an awesome experience and he is looking forward to testing himself. He has been developing well and has a very bright future when he returns to Cardiff Blues.
“He will join Bristol for the remainder of their season as they push for the league title and with so many games in such a short period, he will get a decent amount of game time in competitive, high pressure matches.
“Not only that but he will be training and learning from John Afoa and Kyle Sinckler, which will be invaluable to his progress and he will return to us with that insight and experience under his belt.
“Tight-head is an area of strength for us with Dillon Lewis, Scott Andrews and Dmitri Arhip also vying for the jersey and we expect Azza to come back ready for the PRO14 season and to be pushing all the way for a starting spot.”
Assiratti came though the Cardiff Blues academy and has made 39 appearances for his home region, most recently against the Scarlets.
He has already begun training with Bristol Bears and is relishing the challenge ahead before returning to the Arms Park.
Assiratti said: “Joining Bristol for the rest of their season is an opportunity that was too good to turn down and I am really excited to play my part.
“They have a brilliant squad and are obviously competing at the top of the Premiership table. Hopefully I can put my hand up and get some game time in big matches during the weeks ahead, while soaking up all I can learn from their environment before returning home to Cardiff Blues.”