Smith, who Friend has described as having ''all the trademarks of a future great'', will come off the bench at Eden Park when the Brumbies play the Blues.

The Brumbies travelled to New Zealand yesterday brimming with confidence they could secure their fifth win from six outings this season. Such is their faith in each other, the team even cancelled its scheduled captain's run yesterday afternoon.

Friend left the decision to his skipper Stephen Hoiles, who believed there was little need for a walk around the venue and light skills session. Hoiles called a late team meeting at their hotel instead to finalise preparations.

''There's a really good vibe in the group this week. I'm not sure what it is but I like it,'' the captain said.

''We've won four from five and while we know we're still not where we want to be, we see that as a good thing that we're still winning while not playing our best rugby. While you don't want to be peaking in round six or whatever this round is, I do think the guys will take a big step forward against the Blues.''

The ''future star'' and ''future great'' tag Friend has placed on Smith is a hefty one, considering the player is 25 years old and still to make his Super 14 debut.

An outside back who has already represented Australia at rugby sevens level, Smith joined the Brumbies from the NSW Waratahs Academy in 2009. The 194cm, 106kg utility earned his call-up to the Super 14 following a two-try performance for the Brumby Runners last weekend.

For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.