Vaea has been catapulted into the Brumbies starting side for the round-two clash, almost three years after his last chance to start a Super Rugby match.

The Brumbies have made minimal changes to the side which belted the Queensland Reds 47-3 last weekend, with David Pocock's injury setback the only change to the squad.

Fullback Jesse Mogg's return from shoulder surgery has been put on ice for at least one more week to give him more time to recover while regular skipper Stephen Moore will continue his return from the bench after a knee reconstruction.

Feisty scrumhalf Nic White will be given the captaincy duties until Moore is injected into the game while reigning Brumbies player of the year Jarrad Butler shifts to No. 7 to replace Pocock.

But the feel-good story of the Brumbies early season news is Vaea.

The 26-year-old was told he would never exercise again, let alone play rugby, when scans found blood clots on his heart at the end of the 2012 season.

He was put on blood thinning medication and his weight ballooned by almost 30 kilograms before doctors finally ticked off on a return to rugby last year.

Now the Brumbies are putting faith in his fitness and ability by putting him into the starting side after impressive pre-season performances.

Vaea does not have a full-time Super Rugby contract, but coach Stephen Larkham offered him a supplementary deal when Fotu Auelua had knee surgery last month.

"What a wonderful story, he's such a great fella," said Brumbies assistant coach Peter Ryan.

"Guys just want to play with [Vaea], they want him in the team. They love him and he's aggressive, that's what we want in our game. It's not that other guys aren't aggressive, it's just that Ita has that mongrel."

Flanker Sean Doyle will make his debut from the bench as the Brumbies aim to beat the Chiefs in New Zealand for the first time since 2007.

The Brumbies are also trying to turn around their horrible away-from-home record last year, which saw them win just one of four games in New Zealand and South Africa.

"It's easy to fall in and out in preparation on away games, so we want this to be as close as possible to being like it's at home," White said.

"Having Steve [Moore] in the team helps me massively … he's done most of the talking all week and nothing changes.

"You can fall into a lull after a big win [like against the Reds], but we don't want to get caught on the hop. We know mistakes we got away with last week … the Chiefs will make us pay."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND TWO

Friday: Waikato Chiefs v ACT Brumbies at New Plymouth, 5.30pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.

BRUMBIES TEAM: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 3. Ben Alexander, 4. Sam Carter, 5. Rory Arnold, 6. Scott Fardy, 7. Jarrad Butler, 8. Ita Vaea, 9. Nic White, 10. Matt Toomua, 11. Joseph Tomane, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Robbie Coleman. Reserves: 16. Stephen Moore, 17. Jean-Pierre Smith, 18. Ruan Smith, 19. Jordan Smiler, 20. Sean Doyle, 21. Michael Dowsett, 22. James Dargaville, 23. Lausii Taliauli.

CHIEFS TEAM: 1. Jamie Mackintosh, 2. Hika Elliot, 3. Siate Tokolahi, 4. Matt Symons, 5. Michael Fitzgerald, 6. Liam Messam, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Maama Vaipulu, 9. Brad Weber, 10. Aaron Cruden, 11. Hosea Gear, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Charlie Ngatai, 14. Bryce Heem, 15. James Lowe. Reserves: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Pauliasi Manu, 18. Ben Tameifuna, 19. Brodie Retallick, 20. Tevita Koloamatangi, 21. Augustine Pulu, 22. Damian McKenzie, 23. Seta Tamanivalu.