He was once the heir to ACT Brumbies great Stephen Larkham's throne but Sam Norton-Knight is returning to Canberra as an enemy determined to cause a major boilover on Saturday night.
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Norton-Knight will line up against the club which kick-started his career almost a decade ago when he leads the Western Force onto the pitch at Canberra Stadium.
It marks a full-circle journey which has taken him from a team of Brumbies legends to the NSW Waratahs, France, Japan and Perth.
But while the Force is languishing near the bottom of the ladder with just two wins from nine games, Norton-Knight said the visitors can cause an upset against the competition-leading Brumbies.
Despite their lowly ranking, the Force has claimed two big scalps with its two wins - beating the Queensland Reds in Brisbane and toppling seven-time champions, the Canterbury Crusaders.
''We approach every game like we're right in it and this week's no different, we think we've got a great opportunity to cause an upset,'' Norton-Knight said. ''We're going to be a big test for the Brumbies. We're just trying to become consistent and I think when we do that we'll be just as hard as any team in the competition. I'm sure the Brumbies aren't taking us lightly and nor should they.''
Norton-Knight was being groomed as Larkham's successor in Canberra when he broke into the team in 2005. But starved of game time behind Larkham and Matt Giteau, Norton-Knight decided to move to the Waratahs.
He spent four seasons in Sydney before going on a four-year international tour to Wales and Japan, before landing in Australia this season. At 29, Norton-Knight said he wasn't trying to prove a point by making a comeback. He said the opportunity to test himself again was simply too good to refuse.
The Force playmaker has had two trips back to Canberra since leaving eight years ago - both with the Waratahs - and is yet to win.
But he doesn't expect Brumbies fans to hold a grudge against him. In fact, he'd be surprised if they even remember him.
''I came into the Brumbies side the year after they won the competition and it was a pretty good feeling, the players around were pretty amazing and they were guys I grew up watching,'' Norton-Knight said. ''It was going to be difficult for me to get more game time with Stephen Larkham and Matt Giteau there … I don't regret moving.''
