The powerhouse No.8 will get his first chance to leave a path of destruction when he makes his Super Rugby debut at Canberra Stadium.

While most fans have never seen him play, former Wallabies mentor Eddie Jones paid Auelua the ultimate compliment and compared him to 60-Test forward Kefu.

His first mission is to add a mean edge to the Brumbies' pack.

"Just look at him, he's massive," Jones enthused.

"He's got the running ability of a Toutai Kefu. But whether he can play with that sort of intensity and consistency is another thing because [Kefu] is the greatest No.8 we've had in a long time.

"[Auelua] has massive potential, he's been virtually untapped until now. He's fit and strong and I'm sure he's going to do well."

The Brumbies were bursting with excitement yesterday when Auelua was named in the team to take on the Rebels.

Skipper Ben Mowen said even Auelua's teammates were impressed by his size when he arrived in Canberra.

Even coach Jake White is "excited" to see what damage Auelua can do and says the former Australian Schoolboy representative's enthusiasm is infectious.

Auelua boasts an impressive list of supporters in Jones, White and Mowen.

But Auelua prefers to let his actions do the talking.

The Rebels are his chance to prove he belongs in Super Rugby.

White is keen to test the 118-kilogram battering ram and has shifted Mowen to blindside flanker. Mowen doesn't mind – he's just happy he doesn't have to try to stop a rampaging Auelua.

When asked if Auelua was a wrecking ball, Mowen said: "Oh yeah, he's got one gear and that's straight [at them].

"He's skilful, too. I played schoolboy rugby with him, I've seen what he can do when he's up and running and he's a destructive fellow.

"He's 28 and extremely experienced, he's a proven player and I think the excitement around is that when he arrived the guys were impressed by the size of him and the way he applied himself.

"He's earned this reward. He was so destructive and I'm looking forward to seeing him again."

Auelua has waited longer than most to make his debut. He was a schoolboy star, but forged his career abroad in France and Japan before linking with the Brumbies.

Auelua is one of six changes to the Brumbies' starting XV as White re-jigs the forwards. Ben Alexander moves to the bench for Ruaidhri Murphy to start.

Michael Hooper is back in the No.7, while Scott Fardy's strong start to the season has won him a place in the second row.

Tevita Kuridrani is the new outside centre, while Zack Holmes and Leon Power have been dropped from the game-day squad.

The Brumbies are out to end a two-game losing run before they leave for a two-week tour of South Africa on Monday morning.

Despite sitting above the Rebels in the Australian conference, the Brumbies have a significant disadvantage in experience.

The Rebels boast 748 Super Rugby caps, while the Brumbies have just 494.

"We've got boys on two-year contracts here and I've never, ever seen them play rugby," White said.

"I've seen them play trials and train, but I've never seen them under pressure in Super Rugby.

"It's a balancing act this year in terms of getting combinations and making sure we create something for players who will be in our system for a couple of years."